Taxi drivers hold protest outside Delhi CM’s residence

Diesel taxi drivers shout slogans against chief minister Arvind Kejriwal during a protest in New Delhi on Sunday. (Photo: Asian Age)

Hundreds of diesel taxi drivers, affected by the recent ban imposed by the Supreme Court, staged a protest outside Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Sunday. The protesters, under the banner of Delhi Taxi Transport Association, later held a rally at Jantar Mantar and were addressed by Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta.

Mr Gupta said he will lead a delegation of drivers with all-India tourist permits to Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday and apprise him of the issues arising due to the ban. “We will urge him to protect the livelihoods of thousands of drivers by enforcing the ban in phases while putting an end to new registrations. The Delhi government has failed to effectively apprise the apex court of the matter,” added Mr Gupta.

The BJP MLA claimed the Delhi government has no plan or vision for the development of the city. “This government only knows how to earn political brownie points by misguiding the people. Since the AAP has come to power, the entire public transportation system of the city has gone haywire. Every day 300-350 DTC buses are breaking down in the middle of the road causing immense discomfort and inconvenience to people. The Delhi government has sufficient space to park 14,000 buses, but it blames the Central government for not providing space to park buses, due to which they are unable to buy more buses,” he added.