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Disregarding public sentiment, auto and taxi drivers went on a one-day strike on Monday protesting against the Delhi government's order to install electronic fare meters to prevent tampering and cheating.
The protestors complained that having recently taken loans to convert their petrol and diesel-run vehicles to CNG mode, the latest order places an unfair financial burden on them.
Middle class commuters, the biggest users of taxis and autos, and office-goers had a harrowing time as 54,000 autos and 13,000 taxis went off the roads.
The Delhi government is only implementing a Supreme Court order to install tamper-proof meters in autos and taxis to that the public is not fleeced.
People arriving from outside Delhi, especially with families, were the worst hit.
"I came from Chandigarh this morning and had to pay Rs 40 for a cycle rickshaw ride from the Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) to Shastri Nagar, which is about five kilometers away," said Kishen Chand.
"If I had known about the strike, I could have come a day earlier," said an old woman. "I had to wait for few hours before I was picked by relatives from Pratap Nagar," she said.
Delhi Transport Minister Ajay Maken said that there was no question of the Delhi government buckling under pressure from the auto and taxi drivers. "We have to implement the Supreme Court order," Maken told newspersons.
However, the auto and taxi drivers pointed out that the Supreme Court order does not specify that electronic meters have to be installed.
"If our meters are faulty, the cops can punish us. Why force us to buy new meters?" asked Bhagat Singh, a taxi driver.
"Only some time back we took loans to purchase new autos, which run on CNG. Now they want us to change our meters. This is unfair," an auto driver protested.
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