GUWAHATI: Naren Saikia, a member of an app-based cab drivers’ organisation in Guwahati who have been demanding a fare hike over the past two days, has alleged that he was “pressurised” by a person to tell the media that the drivers had temporarily withdrawn their indefinite strike.
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In a video released late Wednesday evening, Saikia said a person identified as Rinku Das forced him and others to state before the media that the protest had been withdrawn.
“A person called Rinku Das forced us, especially me, to give a statement before the media that ‘we have withdrawn our protest’,” Saikia said.
Saikia alleged that he was threatened with dire consequences if he did not announce the withdrawal of the strike.
“In a way, he threatened me. Because of the pressure from the person, I had to say that the strike was temporarily withdrawn,” he said.
He claimed that he made the statement before the media only to “come out safe” from the particular place.
“I had to lie before the media that the strike was withdrawn,” Saikia said, adding that the indefinite strike would continue and that he would also participate in it.
He also apologised to fellow cab drivers for the miscommunication.
Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, Saikia had said that drivers who attended a meeting with transport authorities at Paribahan Bhawan in Khanapara had agreed to temporarily call off their indefinite protest after being assured that their demands would be addressed within 14 days.
The Commissioner of Transport, Assam, has issued show-cause notices to several cab aggregators over alleged violations and sought their responses within 14 days.
In notices dated August 31 to the cab aggregators, Commissioner of Transport Manvendra Pratap Singh stated that several “anomalies have been observed after a thorough inspection by the office of the undersigned in the present operation of your business.”
Despite several meetings and communications, the aggregators had not adequately addressed the issues raised by cab operator unions over low fare rates.
However, the decision to temporarily suspend the protest has not been accepted by all driver organisations.
Dhrubaraj Axom, president of the Assam State Driver Union, said reports that cab drivers had called off the protest were incorrect and described them as misinformation.
“There are reports that cab drivers have temporarily called off their protest. It’s untrue and misinformation. We will only stop our protest when the transport authorities ensure that our demands are met,” he said.
Drivers associated with Ola, Uber and Rapido are demanding minimum fares of ₹25 per kilometre for hatchbacks and ₹30 per kilometre for sedans. They have also sought cancellation and waiting charges.
The indefinite strike began on September 1 and affected app-based cab, auto-rickshaw and bike services across Guwahati on Tuesday and Wednesday.