Cab drivers’ union raises demands on several transport-related issues

Siliguri: All Bengal Cab Service, an umbrella organisation of cab drivers, owners, representatives of all major associations, unions and transport stakeholders of North Bengal have jointly submitted a memorandum to Joint Secretary of the State Transport Authority (STA) West Bengal, regarding various transport-related issues connected to Sikkim.

They have pointed out that unlike Bengal where vehicles registered in Sikkim are allowed to move freely, vehicles from Bengal, whether from Siliguri or Hills are only allowed to pick up and drop passengers at designated locations like Gangtok and Pelling in Sikkim.

These vehicles are not allowed to take tourists on sightseeing or to other places in Sikkim. Therefore, the drivers from Bengal along with the tourists are facing difficulties and inconvenience while visiting Sikkim from Bengal.

“We face numerous problems while visiting Sikkim, which not only affect the drivers but also inconveniences tourists. The local syndicates of Sikkim have harassed our drivers several times. We want the administration to give importance to the issue and take steps in our favour. If our demands are not met, we will be forced to launch a larger movement in the near future,” said Ganesh Mahato, General Secretary of All Bengal Cab Service. The demands include withdrawal of unused Sikkim permits. According to them, there is a backlog of inactive Sikkim permits that need to be reissued at the Siliguri STA, Darjeeling RTO and Kalimpong RTO. Expedite the issuance process and allocate permits to interested transporters.

They demanded implementation of an online system for issuing special permits and border tax for West Bengal vehicles, with an offline counter at Rangpo, online issuance of recommendation and counter signature permits.

They also strongly condemned and opposed the newly-introduced ‘SIKKIM CAB APP’ for taxi booking.

“We believe this app will severely impact our market in North Bengal if they accept bookings from major North Bengal locations. They can operate this app within their interstate boundaries, but we will not allow its operation in our region as it concerns our livelihood,” Mahato added.

“We have received the memorandum and will forward it to concerned authorities,” said Sonam Tshering Lepcha, Joint Secretary, STA.