Flash taxi strike hits commuters

A little-known consumer forum called Jai Bhagavan Rickshaw Taxi Mahasangh (JBRTM) shut down 70 per cent of the 40,000 taxis in the southern and eastern suburbs, inconveniencing consumers to no end. Furthermore, the protest held by the forum at Azad Maidan turned violent, with seven people detained for damaging three vehicles including an Ola cab.

The JBRTM had called for a protest on Monday against delay in including application-based taxi services in the ambit of the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA). The protest started outside Azad Maidan at 11 am in which nearly 5,000 drivers participated, calling for inclusion of private radio taxis like Ola and Uber in the Act.

With nearly 70 per cent of the black-and-yellow taxis missing from the streets after the protest call, especially in Mahim, CST, Kurla, Thane and Navi Mumbai, commuters were seriously inconvenienced. One of the cabbies, Pratap Gaikwad said that he was not plying his vehicle as the owner of the taxi had warned him that the protest might turn violent and he did not want to risk any damage. “The owner of the taxi I drive has refused to let me ply the taxi as he fears that if the protest turns violent, the taxi might get damaged,” said Mr Gaikwad.

JBRTM leader, Bala Sanap, said that none of the forum’s members were part of the violence that took place outside Azad Maidan at around 2 pm when the rally was dispersing. “We had a simple gathering of taxi owners and drivers and it was not a protest. Our members neither intimidated nor attacked anyone. Those who did it did not belong to our group,” he said. A cameraperson from a news channel sustained minor injuries in the scuffle.