CITU calls 2-day taxi strike in Bengal next month

The CPI(M)'s trade union wing CITU on Wednesday called a taxi strike on August 6 and 7, demanding increase in fares, and scrapping of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2019.

Anadi Sahu, general secretary of the West Bengal unit of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said it has become next to impossible for taxi owners to run the cabs under the existing fare rates due to steep rise in fuel prices.

The decision of the two-day strike was taken following a meeting of the West Bengal Taxi Workers Federation.

"There has been a sharp increase in petrol and diesel prices. It has to be contained. Taxi fares need to be increased. We also demand that the anti-people Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill be immediately scrapped. In order to press for our demands, we have decided that a taxi strike would be called on August 6 and 7," Sahu told reporters here.

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed in Lok Sabha on Tuesday by a voice vote.

The amendment bill seeks to weed out corruption, improve road safety and usher in use of technology to regulate traffic, as the government assured the House that rights of the states will not be taken away.