Taxi stir talks set to continue

Talks at Khairatabad RTA office with the initiation of transport minister P. Mahender Reddy to resolve the issue between cab drivers and the managements will continue on Saturday, with no fruitful results on Friday. Telangana Cab Drivers and Owners Association (TCDOA) announced that their strike would continue.

The TCDOA opposed the RTA officials’ suggestion to invite as many as 12 unions including lorry and private bus associations that have no bearing on the ongoing strike.

Vice-president of TCDOA V. Sarvesh said that they would continue the protest and indefinite hunger strike. “The health condition of the association president V. Shiva is becoming critical day-by-day as he continues with his indefinite hunger strike. We demand the government hold talks with Uber and Ola managements and cab drivers. We shall continue our protest programmes on Saturday,” he said.

In another development, the Uber management said that it got an injunction order from the Rangareddy district court against the ongoing blocking of the cars by the cab drivers’ associations.

The General Manager of Uber for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Deepak Reddy said that the management would focus on the safety of the working driver-cumpartners and riders in view of the ongoing cab drivers’ strike. He sent a voice message to all the cab drivers saying that the ongoing agitations were taken up by some small groups and associations and there was no need to worry for other working drivers.

Both the Ola and Uber managements have said that there is very little impact on the regular cab services with sufficient number of vehicles to be made available within one or two days.