Following assurance by the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, the taxi-cab operators have withdrawn their strike.
The CM has given assurance that the Government will consider the demands of the operators and ensure a speedy solution to the problems of the taxi operators who have been opposing the mandatory installation of anti lock brake system in already registered old taxi cabs operating in the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand.
In view of the loss incurred by those involved in the transportation business in the recent disaster, the Chief Minister has given assurance that an appeal will be made to the Central Government to give relaxation in anti lock brake system.
He added that orders for the renewal of the permits of the old vehicles have also been given.
He appealed the vehicle operators to withdraw their strike in public interest. He assured that the 12 years time allotted for the vehicles will also be maintained.
In a meeting held at the secretariat on Monday, the office holders of various unions related to those in the taxi-cab business informed the Chief Minister about their problems.
It will be recalled that the taxi cab operators plying in the mountainous regions of the State had boycotted work on January 4-5 in protest against the anti lock brake system (ABS) being made mandatory for taxis plying the mountain roads.
About 500 taxi jeeps plying to various locations in the mountains from Dehradun did not operate for two days which caused major inconvenience to the public.
The operators state that making ABS mandatory for all taxis plying on mountain roads will increase the financial burden on them at a time when they are already facing loss due to the disaster in June last year. With the taxi cabs stopping operation in the mountainous regions from the State capital for two days, people of the
State faced major inconvenience especially as these cabs are the sole mode of public transport on many branch routes which are not served by public buses.
Doon Garhwal taxi owners welfare committee secretary SD Uniyal said that during the meeting, officials informed the CM that the ABS was not mandatory in various mountain States in India.
“The CM assured us that this will not be made mandatory for old vehicles but will be so for the new vehicles. We have withdrawn out strike following theassurance given by the CM,” he said.