The taxis will stay off the road from Wednesday midnight as the Taxi Bachao Committee, a platform of the taxi unions in the city, has called a token strike following the failure of its talks with state transport minister Ranjit Kundu on fare hike. The Progressive Taximen’s Union, backed by the Trinamul Congress and a part of the Taxi Bachao Committee also, has however opposed the strike and will not participate in it.
“We did not increase the taxi fares despite the hike in petro prices from time to time. But whenever we met the transport minister for a way out, he sought time,” said committee’s president Bimal Guha.
He added, “So far five meetings have been held with the minister but no solution has come out. This time also he sought time, assuring to look into our problems and appealed us not to go on strike. But the reality is that he has no policy to end our plight. So in protest, we have called a token strike for a day from Wednesday midnight to Thursday midnight.”
The number of taxis of the Bengal Taxi Association, Calcutta Taxi Association, West Bengal Drivers’ Association, Radio Taxi Shoppers’ Welfare Association under the committee that will not run is close to 34,000, Mr Guha informed. He added, “We have given 15 days’ time to the state government to consider our plight. On July 31, we will hold a meeting.”
President of the Progressive Taximen’s Union Madan Mitra said, “We do not think that the strike will benefit the daily commuters in any way.”