Auto, Ola, Uber taxi strike in Delhi today to protest CNG price hike

CNG price hike in recent times have forced auto and taxi operators in Delhi to go on a strike today. Commuters in the national capital could be in for hassles as several cabs and auto rickshaws are expected to stay off the roads on Monday. The auto and taxi unions have called for the strike in demand to slash the price of CNG which has gone up drastically in the past few weeks.

According to Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL), the firm which retails CNG in the national capital and adjoining cities, the price of a kg of CNG in Delhi NCR currently costs ₹71.61. The price of CNG has been hiked as many as three times in the first two weeks of April and 11 times since March 7 this year. In the last six weeks, the CNG price has gone up by ₹15.6 per kg. In the last one year, prices have increased by ₹28.21 per kg or about 60 percent.

The Delhi government has assured to look into the matter and to consider fare revision in a time-bound manner. However, the unions have refused to call of their strike. "We have decided to go on an indefinite strike from Monday in view of no action by the government to help us by slashing prices of fuels and revising fares," Kamaljeet Gill, President of Sarvodaya Driver Association Delhi, said.

Rajendra Soni, General secretary of the Delhi Auto Rickshaw Sangh, said, "We know that the Delhi government is forming some committee but we need solutions to our problems which is not in sight. We are demanding that the government (Centre and Delhi) provide ₹35 per kg subsidy on CNG prices."

Hundreds of auto, taxi and cab drivers staged a protest at the Delhi Secretariat recently demanding subsidy on CNG prices. "We cannot keep plying our autos and cabs bearing losses everyday as the CNG prices are galloping. This is a symbolic protest to oppose the price hike," Soni said.

Delhi has more than 90,000 auto rickshaws and over 80,000 registered taxis serving as public transport. Besides these, around 10,000 RTV buses will also be off road in support of the demands to revise fares and bring down CNG prices.

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