KOLKATA: Taxi and app cab owners have decided to go on a strike to protest against the spiraling diesel price hike on July 26.
"We will not run our vehicles from 6 am on July 26 to 6 am on July 27 to protest against spiraling diesel price, which has shot up to Rs 92.81," said Arup Mondal, general secretary of West Bengal Taxi Operators' Co-ordination Committee, who is also attached with Kolkata App Cabs Operators affiliated to AITUC.
He reiterated that taxi and app cab operators will hold Paribahan Bhawan Abhijan at 1 pm on July 26. They will assemble at Raja Subodh Mullick Square at 12 noon and then proceed to Paribahan Bhawan at R N Mukherjee.
On July 13, a demonstration will be held at Lenin Statue in support of Paribahan Bhawan Abhijan.
Mondal condemned a private app cab company for hiking the fare by 15 per cent without the approval from the state Transport department last week. Instead of Rs 10 per kilometer, the passengers are paying Rs 14. 70.
Time charge has been reduced by Re 1. Another app cab aggregator had also threatened to hike the fare.
However, the state Transport department is mulling to come out with a legislation to curb the arbitrary fare hike by the app cab aggregators.