The monsoon has just begun in Mumbai, but commuters are already being tossed about. In addition to heavy rain and local trains running slow, Mumbaikars bore the brunt of a protest by the drivers of yellow-and-black taxis, also called the ‘kaali-peelis’.
The taxi drivers gathered at Azad Maidan on Tuesday under the banner of Jai Bhagawan Taxi, Rickshaw Mahasangh, Maharashtra, to protest ‘unreasonable promotional rates’ of the app-based taxi service providers, Ola and Uber.
Business affected
The protestors said their business was adversely affected by private operators’ nominal rates, besides free rides. They demanded to know why the Maharashtra government is not taking action against private operators when Ola and Uber are banned in Delhi and Kolkata. “Initially, my average income was Rs. 1,000-1,500 a day, and that was sufficient to take care of my family. But now, I hardly manage Rs. 200-300 a day. This is affecting my children’s education; I am also finding it difficult to feed them. Everyone says, ‘You people charge more than Ola does,’ but we go by the meter,” said Rashid Shiekh, a kaali-peeli taxi driver. Sheikh was concerned that his taxi would be taken away if he did not pay his equated monthly instalments on time.
Bad days
“The Prime Minister has promised achche din for all, but it’s bure din (bad days) for me,” said V.K. Kumar, a taxi driver from Thane.
The taxi drivers’ main grouse was that private operators’ taxis have tourist permits issued to them under the Motor Vehicles Act, but they are brazenly picking up passengers in the city while the authorities are looking the other way.
The two main taxi drivers’ groups — Mumbai Taximen’s Union and Mumbai Taxi Association — however, did not participate in the protest, while smaller unions in Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Thane, Colaba-Cuffe Parade and the domestic and international airports did so. The opposition leader in the Legislative Council, Dhananjay Munde, lent his support to the protest.
The president of the Sanghatana, Balasaheb Sanap, issued an ultimatum to the government to stop the services of Ola and Uber in the State by July 26. He threatened that the protest would turn violent if the government failed to take action. The protest would expand to airports, said Munna Bhai Mishra, president of Airport Taxi Driver Sangh.
The writer is an intern at The Hindu
