Auto-rickshaws and taxis in Delhi will go on strike from August 3 to protest the rise in prices of compressed natural gas (CNG) without any corresponding rise in fares, their union leaders said on Friday.
Holding a protest at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi, members of an auto union said their repeated demands to the Delhi government to roll back the rise in CNG prices had fallen on deaf ears.
"We have given one week time for the government; if there is no roll back on CNG prices, we will increase fares and go on strike from August 3... we have not decided for how many days," Rajendra Soni, president of the Bharat Auto-Rickshaw Chaalak Sangh, told IANS.
The auto-rickshaw and taxi unions said the government has increased CNG prices three times this year.
"The government has increased CNG prices three time this year alone, this is not acceptable. We tried to meet the Delhi transport minister and commissioner, but did not get any cooperation or response from the government," Soni said.
"We don't want to pressurise the common man by hiking the fare or going on strike, but the government has forced us to do so. If government heeds our demand and rolls back the CNG prices, we will not hike the fare," said Raj Varma, president, Delhi Taxi Union.
Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) had hiked CNG prices by Rs1.75 a kg January 1 and by Rs1.90 a kg March 6 and Rs2.90 per kg on July 6.
The auto rickshaw unions also claimed that even three months after the Supreme Court order directing the Delhi transport department to issue 45,000 permits to run new auto-rickshaws in the city, the Delhi government has not done so.
"The Delhi government had also announced that a welfare board will be set up to look into the problems of drivers but till date nothing has been done," Soni added.
