Taxi Strike: 50,000 taxis to go off roads in six districts from tomorrow, passengers to be hit

Taxi Strike: Taxi unions have announced an indefinite road blockade in six districts starting tomorrow, February 4th, expressing anger over the suspension of vehicle fitness services at RTO offices. This blockade could cause significant inconvenience to passengers.

Taxi Strike: Taxi drivers have announced an indefinite road blockade starting February 4. Taxi drivers from Almora, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar districts of Uttarakhand's Kumaon Mandal are facing difficulties due to the suspension of vehicle fitness services. It is noteworthy that vehicle fitness services have been halted at all ten RTO offices in Kumaon. In light of this, the Mahasangh Taxi Union Kumaon Mandal has announced an indefinite road blockade from February 4, which could bring around 50,000 taxis to a standstill.

According to Manoj Bhatt, senior vice-president of the union, the mandatory use of Automated Testing Stations (ATS) has increased financial pressure, and reliance on private centres is leading to exploitation. The organisation has sent a memorandum to all District Magistrates and transport officials in Kumaon, demanding that the authority for fitness checks be returned to government transport offices.

Previously, this facility was available in Haldwani, Almora, Ramnagar, Rudrapur, Kashipur, Champawat, Tanakpur, Pithoragarh, Ranikhet, and Bageshwar. However, the Ministry of Road and Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has discontinued the online fitness system, affecting approximately 50,000 taxi operators in Kumaon.

A 572 km Round Trip Required

Reliance on ATS for vehicle fitness is proving costly for taxi drivers. Drivers and owners from hilly districts state that they have to travel from areas like Munsyari and Kapkot to private ATS centres in Haldwani, Tanakpur, and Rudrapur for fitness checks. Taxi operators from Munsyari have to travel 286 km to Haldwani for their vehicle's fitness inspection. They are spending thousands of rupees on fuel for the journey and also paying hefty bills at private ATS centres. Meanwhile, RTO administration officer Gurdev Singh stated that a letter has been sent to the Transport Headquarters in Dehradun to resolve the issue, and a request has been made to MoRTH to restart the website until new ATS centres are established. The administration has also appealed to the union to postpone the road blockade.

Key Demands of Taxi Operators

The mandatory ATS fitness requirement should be immediately abolished. Government fitness centres should be reopened in all RTO/ARTO offices. The old fitness system should be reinstated until the government system is implemented. There should be a complete ban on the entry of commercial taxis from other states into Nainital. The previously issued order for passenger tax exemption should be re-implemented. Transparency should be brought into the online challan system. The mandatory panic button and GPS should be postponed until an effective monitoring system is developed.