Office-goers faced difficulties in reaching their workplaces on Thursday morning as several private buses, taxis and autorickshaws remained off the roads due to a strike called by the UFTA against the amended MV Act provisions. Many schools in the national capital remained closed due to the strike. The services of Delhi Metro and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses remained unaffected. United Front of Transport Associations (UFTA) general secretary Shyamlal Gola said over 50 transport associations and unions in Delhi-NCR were taking part in the strike.
The UFTA is demanding withdrawal of the steep hike in road traffic penalties and certain other provisions of the new Motor Vehicles Act.
Here are the latest updates of transports strike:
11:25 AM
According to CNN News18, the protest turned unruly in some parts of the national capital with transport workers forcing passengers out of cabs and autos. In Akshardham area, a cab was also vandalised for reportedly ferrying passengers despite the strike call.
10:55 AM
The transport strike call did not have much effect in Gurugram, where reports have claimed the situation to be normal. The auto and cab drivers in the region were not even aware of the strike called by the transport union, claimed a report.
9:45 AM
Services of Delhi Metro and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses remained unaffected.
8:45 AM
Many striking auto-cab drivers are protesting outside New Delhi Railway Station. They are also not allowing other taxi, cab or auto drivers from picking up commuters.
8:37 AM
At Nizamuddin Railway Station, people are forced to walk or wait for public transport as there are no cabs or auto plying from there.
8:25 AM
At Anand Vihar Railway Station, striking auto-cab drivers are stopping other drivers from picking up people. Police is taking action against them.
7:30 AM
Private buses, auto-rickshaws, a section of app-based cabs, trucks, grameen sevas and school vans will be off the roads on Thursday. The total expected per day loss in revenue of the transporters owing to the strike is going to be about Rs 23,000 crore.
7:00 AM
Delhi has started seeing the effect of the transport strike. Several autos and cabs are standing at the New Delhi Railway Station but they are not carrying passengers. Commuters are facing problems and many are forced to use Delhi Metro.
6:30 AM
Many parents received messages from schools informing them that educational institutes will be closed on Thursday.
Several private schools like The Shriram Millennium School, Apeejay School, Bal Bharati Public School in Ganga Ram Hospital Marg, and Shiv Nadar School in Noida, Mount Abu Public School in Rohini, and Modern Public School in Shalimar Bagh are some of the schools that have declared a holiday on Thursday.
"Most of the schools have announced off due to strike of transporters and preparatory leave of ongoing exams," a representative for an association of private schools told news agency PTI.