Taxi, cab drivers demand govt's assistance to tide over lockdown impact

New Delhi: The lockdown has raised serious question on the survival of more than 30,000 cab and taxi drivers in Delhi. They have no means to earn money and feed their families. They have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking help but nothing concrete has been done so far.

The letter was written by the Delhi Taxi Tourist Transporters and Tour Operators Association which reads that from the last one month due to COVID-19 they had to stop plying their vehicles due to which they have no money left. "Due to this worse situation taxi and bus drivers have reached to famishment. Banks are sending us message related to EMIs. We request you to please extend our EMIs to six months," the letter reads. They further said that banks should once again be told not to harass them.

"The government should provide a package of Rs 1,000 crore to bail out auto, taxi and private bus owners in Delhi," Sanjay Samrat, president, Delhi Taxi Tourist Transporters Association said. "The government should also postpone our monthly GST liabilities and other financial commitments, including employee state insurance and provident fund contributions," he urged.

Nearly one lakh autos and e-rickshaws ply on the roads of Delhi. The number of various kinds of cab services in the city is more than 1.5 lakh.

According to the association member, they are uncertain about their future. "We are left with no job. How we will feed our families? The government should help us," a taxi driver said. There are also fewer rations left with them and after a few days they will have to sleep empty stomach, the driver added.