State gives in to taxi unions' demands

The state's transport department, headed by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, has agreed to the taxi unions' demands to revive dead taxi permits and dilute conditions for issuing or renewing taxi-driver licences.

The state's transport department, headed by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, has agreed to the taxi unions' demands to revive dead taxi permits and dilute conditions for issuing or renewing taxi-driver licences.

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The regional transport offices and the transport department have been taking strong action against taxi drivers for not submitting valid residential proofs, which has become a problem for the unions. They sent a letter to the transport department asking them to revive nearly 15,000 dead permits that have not been renewed in the last five years. The taxi union claimed that the number of taxis have come down because there are thousands of permits that are non-operational.

"A separate policy is under consideration for reviving these dead taxi permits," said SK Sharma, transport secretary. The transport body has also tweaked the license-by-post scheme. "The drivers can now submit temporary address proof to the RTOs," said AL Quadros, general secretary, Mumbai Taximen's Union.