Sixteen auto-rickshaw unions came together on Monday to begin an indefinite strike or chakka jam andolan across Pune city. They demanded that illegal bike taxi services in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad be closed down and in response to their protest, both Ola and Uber shut down their bike taxi services in Pune even as Rapido company refrained from doing so.
Keshav Kshirsagar, president, Baghtoy Rikshawala, an auto-rickshaw union, said, “We have already given several chances to illegal bike taxi operators and even to the state government to close down their services but no one has bothered to listen to us. Finally, we had to call this strike for our survival and the future of our children. It is a big win for us that two major service providers Ola and Uber have closed down their bike taxi services in Pune. Whereas the mobile application of the Rapido company is still functional due to which thousands of auto drivers today gathered outside the Pune RTO for the chakka jam protest.”
Earlier on November 28, Baghtoy Rikshawala had called an indefinite strike which was later supported by all prominent auto-rickshaw unions including Rickshaw Panchayat, which is the oldest auto union in the state. Their major demands included removing bike taxis from the state, reducing CNG rates, changing the base policy of electric vehicles, and stopping harassment by finance companies. Whereas, Pune district collector Dr Rajesh Deshmukh had appealed to them not to go on strike as it would impact citizens.
About the indefinite strike, Kshirsagar said, “The committee which was formed by the Pune district administration has done nothing in the last 15 days. While we had demanded that our representatives be included in the committee, that too hasn’t been done. The RTO officials are corrupt and our question is are they working for the state government or these private companies? We had submitted a letter of demands to the state chief minister and Pune guardian minister as well but the illegal bike taxi services haven’t stopped. We have no option now but to go on strike.”
{{/usCountry}}About the indefinite strike, Kshirsagar said, “The committee which was formed by the Pune district administration has done nothing in the last 15 days. While we had demanded that our representatives be included in the committee, that too hasn’t been done. The RTO officials are corrupt and our question is are they working for the state government or these private companies? We had submitted a letter of demands to the state chief minister and Pune guardian minister as well but the illegal bike taxi services haven’t stopped. We have no option now but to go on strike.”
{{/usCountry}}As thousands of auto drivers and members of various auto-rickshaw unions gathered at the Sangamwadi RTO office for the protest, roads were blocked by auto-rickshaws and citizens were majorly inconvenienced since the morning. “I had to drop my parents to Pune railway station as they had to board a train in the morning. As we could not get any autos, I had to finally borrow my neighbour’s car and drop them to Pune railway station. If this strike continues, it will be a major problem for the public and the state government should intervene and find a permanent solution,” said Nilay Oza, a citizen.
Whereas Ajit Shinde, regional transport officer, RTO, said, “The committee headed by the district collector has issued notice through the DCP cyber cell to shut down the app. We have taken every step possible, with the traffic commissioner issuing notices as well. We cannot promise anything immediately; it will take time.”