Taxis to be off Mumbai roads tomorrow

Mumbai, Oct 9 (UNI) All the taxis plying around the domestic airport at Santacruz here will be off the roads tomorrow to protest the plying of private fleets and taxis on the local taxi routes.

Speaking at a news conference here today, City Taxi Union president Mushtaq Qureshi said the strike will begin from tomorrow at around 1200 hrs.

''The private taxis or fleets cannot stand in the queue meant for regular taxis and pick up passengers as they are not classified as public transport,'' he said.

He further said the private taxis can pick up pre-fixed passengers from the airports but cannot function as a local taxi.

Therefore, the Union has demanded that the private taxis should be stopped from plying on the taxi routes, specially around the airport area, he said.

Mr Qureshi alleged that the Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAPL) has been functioning as a parallel government around the airport area and are plying private taxis.

He further alleged that the MIAPL staff was even towing vehicles and making them pay fines around the domestic airport, which is completely illegal as it is the job of the police.

He said there are more than 1,000 private cars plying illeglly on the streets of Mumbai, as they do not have any authorised parking in the city and cannot pick up passengers.

He said the Union has written to the concerned authorities in this regard but there has not been any response from their side.

''Whether the strike will be for a single day or indefinite will depend on the action taken by the concerned authorities in this regard,'' Mr Qureshi added.

UNI