Ola, Uber drivers protest demanding better pay, ban on bike taxis; commuters inconvenienced
Chennai (PTI): A large section of cab drivers of Ola and Uber went on a strike on Monday demanding fare regulation, a ban on bike taxi services that they say are eating up their revenue, and stringent action on certain toll booths functioning beyond their contract period.
The drivers staged an agitation here urging the state government to immediately intervene and regulate the app-based cab aggregators and to also resolve the issue of high commission charged by the aggregators from them.
The All India Road Transport Workers Federation and the Tamil Nadu Urimai Kural Driver Trade Union, which announced the strike has demanded a ban on bike taxi services.
The drivers have called for a massive protest in the city on October 18 to highlight their demands.
"With the interior areas of Perungudi still lacking connectivity, I usually book a cab to reach my office. Due to the strike I had to depend on an auto, after an agonising wait" says Mahesh, a commuter.
P Sridhar of Madipakkam, whose father was scheduled for an appointment at a corporate hospital in Alwarpet, says he lost all hope of ensuring a comfortable ride to the hospital. "After trying the app for nearly an hour, I had to approach the local auto and agree to the ride for a hefty sum," he said.
Though the strike has impacted commuters, the issue concerns drivers' livelihood, argues Dilshan, a cab driver who has decided not to switch on the app for the next two days.
"Those aggregators are exploiting us and have not provided us the commission we have been asking for. As regards to the bike taxi service, it is affecting our daily earnings," he said and sought to know why bike taxis in Tamil Nadu should not be banned when neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have enforced a ban.
Claiming that there were nearly 70,000 autos and over 60,000 taxis plying in Chennai, a protestor, Sakthivel, said that drivers like him have been raising these demands for a long time.
According to M Bhoopathy, General Secretary of Tamil Nadu Call Taxi Workers' Union, the Centre's guidelines on the motor vehicle aggregators issued in 2020 were not implemented in the state. "The lack of rules impacts both the drivers and commuters. Hence, a regulation would help to fix a fair fare for commuters and better remuneration for the drivers," he said.
Further, he said the taxi workers' union has been insisting upon the state government to launch its own app to provide aggregator services, ban bike taxi and fix fares for call taxis.
The cab drivers have announced a similar strike in Tiruchirappalli on October 17 and said it would follow it up with a massive protest on October 18 at Egmore here, highlighting their demands.
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Public can obtain e-pass online to watch Independence Day celebrations in Bengaluru: BBMP
Bengaluru, Aug 13 (PTI): For the first time, the general public can obtain e-pass online to watch the 79th Independence Day celebrations, said Maheshwara Rao, Chief Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Wednesday.
Rao, along with the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, Seemanth Kumar Singh, was briefing the media here about how Bengaluru is preparing for the state-level ceremony to be held on August 15 at Field Marshal Manik Shah Parade Ground, Cubbon Road, Bengaluru.
“Earlier invitations were distributed by government officials to special invitees and to those involved in the ceremony. Now, people can obtain an e-pass from the Seva Sindhu website (www.sevasindhu.karnataka.gov.in),” added the commissioner.
He said a live telecast of the programme is also available on Doordarshan.
According to him, the viewing gallery for the public at the venue has been expanded to allow more people to watch the programme in person.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will hoist the Indian flag, following which he will inspect the parade in an open jeep and receive the guard of honour.
Siddaramaiah will also deliver an Independence Day message.
On ground security checks are already underway, said the Police Commissioner.
“Police have been deployed on guard duty at the ground for the last 15 days. They are also checking all the hotels, lodges and rest houses for any suspicious activities,” said Singh.
CCTV cameras and baggage scanners, Door Frame Metal Detector and Hand-Held Metal Detector have been installed around the ground to closely monitor all the events, he added.
He also appealed to those with green passes (e-passes) to arrive at Gate no. 05 from the Manipal Centre side via Cubbon Road.
He urged people not to carry any unnecessary luggage or items with them. Even essential items like mobile phones, water bottles, helmets, cameras, radios and umbrellas are best left behind to facilitate quick entry into the venue, he added.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru Traffic Police has appealed to the public to use public transport and metro service as much as possible, due to the lack of space for parking vehicles at Manik Shah Parade Ground and nearby areas.
Parking will not be allowed at Central Street (from Anil Kumble Circle to Shivajinagar Bus Stand), Cubbon Road (from CTO Circle to K R Road and Cubbon Road Junction) and MG Road, from Anil Kumble Circle to Trinity Circle), added a Traffic Police advisory issued on Wednesday.
