Associations of auto, cab and taxi drivers will protest against the central and city government at Jantar Mantar on Friday and at the Delhi Secretariat on April 11.
Associations of auto, cab and taxi drivers will protest against the central and city government at Jantar Mantar on Friday and at the Delhi Secretariat on April 11.
With the sharp hike in CNG prices, auto, cab and taxi drivers in the city have threatened to go on an “indefinite strike” from April 18 if the government does not provide subsidy on fuel or reduce fares.
Associations of auto, cab and taxi drivers will protest against the central and city government at Jantar Mantar on Friday and at the Delhi Secretariat on April 11. CNG price hike,
Sarvodaya Drivers Welfare Association Ravi Rathore, who claims to have around 4 lakh drivers in Delhi-NCR, said his association will go on an “indefinite strike” if their demand for reducing CNG prices or increasing fares is not met. .
“We are demanding reduction in CNG rates and if prices cannot be reduced then fares should be increased to deal with the rise in prices.
Rathore said, “There has been no revision in the fares of Ola and Uber for the last 7-8 years. Tomorrow we will also call for an indefinite strike in protest.”
Delhi Auto Rickshaw Association general secretary Rajendra Soni said the hike in CNG prices is “unprecedented” and taxi, cab and auto drivers are finding it difficult to survive.
There are around 1 lakh auto rickshaws currently running in the national capital.
Mr. Soni said that his association has written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking him to give a subsidy of Rs 35 per kg on CNG.
“If our demand is not met, we will go on an indefinite strike from April 18. We have also decided to hold a symbolic protest at the secretariat on April 11 to protest the price hike,” Soni told PTI.
He said that representatives of other auto and taxi unions like Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union and All Delhi Auto Taxi Transporters Congress Union would also participate in the protest and strike.
Delhi’s public transport, including cabs, autos, taxis and buses, is primarily CNG operated.
CNG prices in the national capital on Thursday were hiking for the second day Consistently ₹ 2.50 per kg, taking the total increase since March to ₹ 12.5 per kg.
According to information posted on the website of Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL), the price of CNG in the National Capital Region (NCT) of Delhi is now Rs 69.11 per kg, as against Rs 66.61 per kg a few days ago. and piped LPG in the national capital and nearby cities.
Mr. Soni further said that when the city government can subsidize electricity and water, it can also give relief to auto and cab drivers.
“The government is giving a discount on liquor so why can’t they subsidize the prices of CNG? This is a public welfare decision that governments should not hesitate to take,” Mr. Soni said.
Shyam Sundar, general secretary of Delhi-NCR Transport Ekta Manch, also said that his union opposes the hike in the prices of CNG and other fuels and demands that the central and city governments reduce the fuel prices.
“We oppose the steep hike in the prices of CNG and other fuels. They should provide some relief to the auto and cab drivers by reducing the rates. We will soon take a call regarding the future course of action,” Mr. Sundar said. .
The hike in CNG prices comes after petrol and diesel prices were hiked by ₹10 per liter and LPG rates by ₹50 per cylinder in the last 16 days.