The strike by thousands of Maxi operators in Uttarakhand has thrown transport service in the state out of gear. The situation in the mountainous areas of the state is even grimmer as the people are ferried mostly by the taxis for short and middle distances. More hardship seems to be in store for the common people as over 1 lakh private bus operators and owners of private taxis are expected to join the strike soon.
There are 39930 maxi cabs and tempo travellers in the state which have been off the roads since September 27. The pilgrims on Char Dham Yatra route are also being affected by the strike of the Maxi cabs.
The operators demand the compulsion of fitting their vehicles with speed governors being done away with. They also want the hike of bank hypothecation fees be reversed. Transport department had recently increased the fees of the maxi cabs hypothecated by the banks from Rs 120 to Rs 3500. The operators also demand the government to ask the transport department to do away with the practice of Yatra permit as it spawns corruption.
The president of the Rispana Bridge maxi cab operators Pramod Nautiyal said that the maxi operators want the state government to impose a ban on the taxis of other states during two peak months of the Yatra season. “ Himachal Pradesh practices ban on vehicles of other states while in Uttarakhand the taxi owners of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, UP and even Rajasthan ferry pilgrims which harms the maxi operators of the state,’’ he said.
Nautiyal claimed that Maxi cab operators are in contact with the taxi and private bus operators.
He said that the bus operators and taxi operators would also join the strike before the Investors Summit.