Two youths killed as motorcycle rams into guardrail at flyover in Kolkata
Two youths were killed as a motorcycle they were riding on rammed into a guardrail at a flyover in Kolkata on Sunday morning.
Amid the uproar on roof hitting fuel prices, the commuters’ woes in Kolkata seems to be far from getting over. A section of taxi and online app cab operator associations in Kolkata have decided to go on a strike on 26 July. The strike has been called by the taxi and cab operators unions affiliated to the AllIndia Trade Union Congress (AITUC).
The operators have threatened to go off the city roads in protest against the high commission rates charged by aggregators and the hike in fuel prices. Likewise, the taxi operators working under the West Bengal Taxi Operators’ Coordination Committee (AITUC) have decided to call a strike demanding a hike in fare.
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“We have been demanding a hike in fare for a long time,” claimed one of the union leaders. “While the bus operators are able to continue their earnings by charging higher fares even without official consent, the online app cabs and taxi operators are unable to do so. They are struggling to meet their daily needs,” he added.
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As informed by the unions, there are 10,000 taxis plying under West Bengal Taxi Operators’ Co-ordination Committee while 4000 online app cabs operating under the Kolkata App Cab Operators’ Forum. In the past few weeks, many commuters are opting for taxis and online app cabs as private and minibuses are fewer or too crowded to be boarded. In such a scenario, a strike by the two organisations on the first working day of the week could bring a tougher commute for the citizens, particularly office-goers, women or patients.
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