Back to Index

Himachal taxi drivers call off strike

          Kullu/Shimla (Himachal Pradesh): Taxi drivers in Himachal Pradesh have called off their indefinite strike as Government granted them a 45-day time to install electronic fare metres. "We do not agree with the scheme. The new metre system to be implemented across Himachal Pradesh is completely against us. We face a lot of difficulties. The mileage we get in the hill area is very less, and the rates are very less," said Babloo Thakur, the president of the local taxi operators union. The cabbies were protesting against a State Government move to make electronic fare metres mandatory in all taxis operating in the state. The Government claims that it was following a High Court order. Officials said that such strikes would hamper the state's tourism potential. "Tourism is at its peak in Himachal Pradesh, and if we do such things, then tourists will be disappointed and may never come back," said Chamel Singh, a district collector. Over 70,000 cabs went off the roads across the State on Monday. "I am facing hell. I came here from Mumbai with my family for a vacation. It is a hill place. How dare they go on strike? The commuters face problems traveling in a hilly place," said Bhaskar, a tourist. Nearly four million tourists visit the state annually.
-May 1,  2007