Taxis to remain off the roads in Darjeeling

Darjeeling: Vehicles, mainly taxis, will remain off the roads from 11 am to 1 pm in Darjeeling town on Thursday. This is owing to a meeting of the Himalayan Transport Coordination Committee on various issues pertaining to taxis.

"The Hills are plagued with numerous taxi and transport-related problems including parking, taxi-bus stands, and revision of fares.

"During elections, different political parties give us assurances but afterwards, the assurances do not translate into action. We have called for a meeting on Thursday in which we have called all the taxi owners, transporters and drivers so that they can voice their grievances and hear about the solutions from the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration top brass," stated S N Pradhan, president.

Binay Tamang, former chairman of the GTA along with Anit Thapa, acting

chairman, Board of Administrators, GTA, will be

present at the meeting to be held at the GDNS Hall in Darjeeling from 10:30 am on Thursday.

Handouts to this effect were circulated to transport and taxi syndicates by the coordination committee on Wednesday. The committee is affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (Binay faction.)

However, the handout stated that taxis will remain off the roads in Darjeeling town from 11 am to 1 pm stressing that in this period, if there is any untoward incident and vehicles are damaged, the committee will not take any responsibility.

"We have written this so that all attend. We want

them to have direct interaction with the authorities so that they can put up their problems and hear what the GTA authorities have to say," explained Pradhan.

There are 61 syndicates under the Committee.