HYDERABAD: The biennial Medaram Jatara which brought good business for cabbies from devotees till 2020, is proving to be unrewarding this time. Those hopeful of recouping losses incurred due to Covid are down in the dumps.
One of the reasons cited is the attractive packages being offered by the TSRTC which has deployed close to 4,000 buses to cash in on the season. Among other reasons is the onslaught of self-driven rental cars, which gives the independence to travel without a hitch.
With working as a cab driver is slowly turning to be less lucrative vocation, some of them have shifted to driving auto-rickshaws of late, which is more economical and promising when it comes to a regular source of income.
“I stopped taking out my taxi and bought an auto which is more profitable, as I can earn Rs 2 per km more compared to taxi with less fuel. I am earning between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 daily, in contrast to Rs 500 by driving a car, which would have gone for its maintenance,” said Poturaju Veeraiah from Malkajgiri.
According to Veeraiah, there are scores of cabbies who have turned autowallahs in the past several months, as driving a 3-wheeler was proving more lucrative. “Amongst my acquaintance there are around 50 cab drivers who have shifted to autos in past six months,” he says.
There were an estimated 1.2 lakh cabs before the pandemic hit, mostly operating under aggregators Ola and Uber. But by the end of 2021, they were reduced to half around 60,000. Post second wave, some of cab drivers shifted to other professions, but in recent months the rising fuel prices and failure of government to revise the fares, has caused widespread distress.
“We have been demanding implementation of GO Ms 61 and GO Ms 66 of 2016 for rationalising fares in view of the fuel price hike,” said Telangana Four Wheeler Driver’s Association president Shaik Salauddin.
Excise dept to issue 22 temporary licences
In view of upcoming tribal festival Jatara, the Excise Department is planning to issue 22 temporary liquor shop licenses in Mulugu district. The licenses, which will be valid for only seven days, will be issued to tribal people through ITDA. Excise superintendent CV Shashidhar Reddy said, “Each shop owner has to pay Rs 63,000. The liquor shops function from February 13 to February 19 2022.”