Fearing violence, almost all taxi and auto drivers have decided not to ply from 6 am till the time the protest is called off
Fearing violence, almost all taxi and auto drivers have decided not to ply from 6 am till the time the protest is called off
With the nation-wide bandh call by the BJP and opposition parties, it seems that you may not be able to hail a cab or an auto today. The majority of taxi owners in Mumbai have decided not to ply from 6 in the morning until the bandh is called off. Nearly 1,000 cabs and equal numbers of autos at the international and domestic airports were locked at the parking lots, because they feared damages to their vehicles.
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| OFF THE ROAD: Nearly 1,000 cabs and an equal number of autos at the international and domestic airports were locked at the parking lots, fearing protestors might damage their vehicles. PIC/SHADAB KHAN |
Dhaneshwar Yadav, a taxi driver at the international airport, said, "We all have decided not to ply, because when our vehicles are damaged no one comes to support us. It's better we lose a day's fare than spend thousands on the repairs."
However, some of their colleagues decided that they would ply, unless the situation worsens. "I will be plying at least until early morning. But the moment I hear any causality I will immediately go off road," said Shailesh Mishra who parks his auto at the international airport.
Two shiftsWhile the political parties want everyone to participate in the bandh to make it a success, few drivers who have no other means of livelihood decided to do two shifts continuously. Yousuf Khan, who had been driving for the last 24 hours, said, "This bandh won't feed my family. That is what I decided do some overtime and earn extra, so that my family does not go hungry today."
And here is some good news -- you'll get milk on time. Vinayak Patil of Aarey Milk said, "We dispatched our vehicles nearly two hours before schedule today, and it has reached on time on all our centres.
The milk vans had reached its local distribution centres before the paper went to press. Even vegetables had reached the local markets. Ashok Walunj of APMC market said, "We sent our vehicles to the Byculla Mandi from Vashi at midnight, amid heavy police protection. We are sure that Mumbaikars won't face any shortage of vegetables today."
However, one of the vegetable vendors, Yousuf Sahikh, from Byculla said, "The vegetables have reached the market but I am not sure whether people would actually come out to buy them. Every vendor has called in less-than-regular quantity to avoid any form of wastage."
Meanwhile: Auto drivers in Andheri complained that few vandals at Mahakali caves threatned them to stop plying. In areas of Worli naka, Thane, and Chembur, few men on motorbikes tried to stop taxis, but the police presence kept them at bay.
