NEW DELHI: Commuters faced problems in Delhi NCR during the day-long transport strike called by the United Front of Transport Association (UFTA) against the amended Motor Vehicle Act (2019).
The UFTA said they are in talks with the government to find a solution and next week a north India-wide meeting of transporters would be held to discuss the future course of action.
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A small section of the transporters had defied the strike call and ventured on the roads in the city. At several places including Sriniwaspuri, Greater Kailash, Kailash Colony and Nizamuddin, autos and taxis which defied the strike reported attacks by those who observed it.
“My Uber driver dropped me in the middle of the trip when some people were indulging in vandalism. I was going to Vasant Kunj from Gurgaon and the driver dropped me at the CDR Chowk. The taxis plying on the road were being threatened of attacks,” a commuter, Vidisha Minhas told this newspaper.
Many schools also remained closed due to the strike across the city. The online aggregators — Ola and Uber — were partly affected. As a part of the strike autos, buses, taxi, maxi cab, school buses, tourist buses, chartered buses, tempos, loading vehicles and big trucks stayed off roads.
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“My husband is unwell. He had an early morning appointment at a clinic in Jangpura and then an appointment at 2 pm in AIIMS. It was a nightmare for us to find an auto. We had to first hop on a cycle rickshaw and later we convinced an auto driver to take us to the hospital,” said Laila Jaan, a resident of Lajpat Nagar area.
If their demands are not met, the chairman of UFTA Harish Sabarwal said they would go on an indefinite strike.
“Around 6 lakh vehicles remained off the road and people volunteered themselves. We are waiting for ministry to call us on Monday... It will be followed by a north India meeting of all associations and then accordingly decide on how to stand against this draconian law,” Sabarwal said.