New Delhi: Commuters in Delhi faced tough times on Monday as several autorickshaw and taxi unions went on strike, demanding relaxation in CNG prices as well as tariff adjustments in the light of hike in fuel prices, news agency PTI reported. Of.
Many commuters claimed that due to rising prices, they had to wait longer for Ola and Uber vehicles which were available at “increased rates”.
On Tuesday also people in Delhi may have to face similar difficulties.
Delhi-based Sarvodaya Driver Welfare Association, whose members work for cab aggregators, has announced that their strike will be for another day.
The Delhi Auto Rickshaw Association, a union of auto drivers, said it has no plans to strike on Tuesday and a decision on the future strike would be taken later.
Across the city, some automobiles, cabs and feeder buses were available at railway stations, inter-state bus terminals (ISBTs) and metro stations.
The strike caught many people in its grip.
“Me and my family reached Delhi from Raipur this morning. There were no cabs and autos available at New Delhi railway station due to the strike. I waited for an hour to get a cab or auto but in vain. Eventually, I had to my friends. Call me to go home in Ghaziabad,” Vinay Prajapati was quoted by PTI in its report.
Another commuter Preeti Dahiya was finding it difficult to drive an auto.
“I am standing here for about 15-20 minutes and I had to go to Geeta Colony. I tried to book a cab, but the waiting time was more than 25 minutes and the price went up. I saw some autos but no one agreed Happened. To leave because of the strike,” said Dahiya.
He said only short journeys of 2-3 kms were acceptable to auto drivers.
Diljit Singh, another passenger said, “Every day I take a taxi to my office near the Central Secretariat and it costs me around Rs 400 for a one-way journey. But today, due to the strike, fewer cabs were available and There was an increase in the rent. Shot. I had to pay more than Rs.650 to reach my office from Noida.”
Delhi’s public transport system is complemented with over 90,000 vehicles and over 80,000 licensed taxis.
To mitigate the impact of rising fuel prices, auto and taxi driver associations have called for an increase in rates and a reduction in CNG prices.
Despite the Delhi government’s statement that a committee would be formed to evaluate the fare revision in a time-bound manner, they refused to call off their strike.
Rajesh Soni, general secretary of the Delhi Auto Rickshaw Association, told PTI, “Our strike was successful in conveying its message. In view of the difficulties being faced by the public, we have decided to suspend our strike. The future course of action will be decided later.” “
He suggested that the government would either give a rebate of Rs 35 per kg on CNG cost or increase the rates.
Delhi-based Sarvodaya Driver Welfare Association has resolved to go on an indefinite strike if the demands are not met.
Ravi Rathore, President, Sarvodaya Driver Welfare Association of Delhi said, “Our strike will continue on Tuesday as well. We have given an ultimatum of two days to the governments (central and city) to consider our demands, after which we will go on an indefinite strike.” Will go.” said.
Later in the day, auto and cab drivers staged a sit-in near Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house in Civil Lines over their demands.
Small demonstrations were also held at various other places including Kashmere Gate, ISBT at Rani Bagh and auto-stop at New Delhi Railway Station.
The Delhi Congress supported the walkout and requested the Kejriwal administration to rebate in the price of CNG.
“The strike has caused a lot of inconvenience to the commuters as they were stranded at many places. The chief minister was not impressed by the plight of the people as he refused to meet the auto-taxi unions. His demand for subsidy on CNG to CM Arvind Kejriwal Delhi Congress President Anil Kumar said in a statement.
Earlier in the day there were reports that cabs entering Delhi from neighboring cities of Noida and Ghaziabad have been stopped at border check-posts, causing inconvenience to commuters.
Cab and auto driver groups, on the other hand, said they were only informing other drivers about the strike and not stopping anyone.
Rathore said, “The strike was planned at a short notice, so many cab and auto drivers in NCR were unaware of it. Hence, they were informed about the strike at the borders of Delhi and after completing their journeys, they were informed about it. requested to participate.” said.
(with PTI inputs)