Petrol, CNG price hike: Auto, cab drivers Delhi to go on strike tomorrow

Commuters in Delhi are likely to face problems as several unions of auto, taxi and mini bus drivers have decided to go on strike on Monday demanding a hike in fare rates and a cut in CNG prices. While most auto unions said they will be on a one-day strike, the Sarvodaya Driver Association Delhi, which has members who drive for cab aggregators, said it will go on an "indefinite" strike from Monday, according to news agency PTI.

The unions have refused to call off their strike despite an announcement by the Delhi government to form a panel to consider fare revision in a time-bound manner.

"We have decided to go on an indefinite strike from Monday in view of no action by the government to help us by slashing prices of fuels and revising fares," PTI quoted Kamaljeet Gill, president of the Sarvodaya Driver Association Delhi as saying.

General secretary of the Delhi Auto Rickshaw Sangh Rajendra Soni said the "unprecedented" hike in rates of CNG has taken a toll on auto and cab drivers.

"We know that the Delhi government is forming some committee but we need solutions to our problems which are not in sight. We are demanding that the government (Centre and Delhi) provide ₹35 per kg subsidy on CNG prices," he said.

Hundreds of auto, taxi and cab drivers staged a protest at the Delhi Secretariat recently demanding subsidy on CNG prices.

"We cannot keep plying our autos and cabs bearing losses everyday as the CNG prices are galloping. This is a symbolic protest to oppose the price hike," Soni said.

There are over 90,000 autos and more than 80,000 registered taxis complementing the public transport system in the city.

General secretary of STA Operators Ekta Manch, Shyamlal Gola, said that RTV buses, numbering around 10,000, will also be off the road in support of the demands to revise fares and bring down CNG prices.

The feeder buses play a crucial role in last-mile connectivity running from Metro stations to interior localities in the city.

(With inputs from PTI)