Auto, taxi drivers to hold mega rally against app operators

NEW DELHI

Accusing the Delhi government of being in cahoots with app-based cab operators, auto and taxi unions announced on Thursday they will hold a mega rally at Ramlila Maidan next month.

Delhi’s auto and taxi unions on Thursday staged a protest against at Jantar Mantar against the government’s alleged inaction against app-based cab companies.

Auto drivers, who took a day off from their duty to participate in the agitation, said they are now “disillusioned” by the Kejriwal-led government. “We had supported the Aam Aadmi Party to an extent where we paid from our own pockets for their campaign. We were challaned for putting their posters on our autos.

Now when our earnings are being eaten up by cab operators, the government has turned its back,” said Hira Lal, an auto driver who came from Najafgarh.

As many as 46,000 challans were issued to auto drivers for pasting posters for AAP’s campaign while around 6,500 permits were locked, claimed Sanjay Chawla who was the coordinator between the party and auto drivers in the run-up to the 2015 assembly elections.

Read: Delhi autos get people-friendly, reject offer of fare hike

“After the rally at Ramlila Maidan, we will also send a group of about 1,000 auto drivers to Punjab where the AAP is contesting elections to let people know of the injustice done to us. On the one hand, the government says it is keeping strict vigil on these companies which are not even registered, on the other, it makes them an official partner of its Delhi Summer Festival” he said.

Joining their protest was Bijwasan MLA Colonel Devinder Sehrawat who criticized the Delhi government of “doing nothing” when cab aggregators have amassed crores of revenue through surge pricing.

“These companies have such disdain for the law that they are not even complying with the Delhi High Court order which disallows them to charge more than the government notified fares. The government also remained quiet when duplicate or Chinese CNG kits were retrofitted despite the transport department being aware about it,” he said.