Bhubaneswar: The state taxi and auto-rickshaw union Sunday declared its support to the two-day pan-India strike call given by the different trade unions of the country.
Addressing a press conference, the All-Odisha Taxi and Auto Mahasangha Sunday announced that it will join the all-India strike January 8-9. General secretary of the union, Padman Chnadra Samal, said that the strike has been called to protest against the steep price hike of essential commodities and excessive taxation during the last few years.
Samal argued that that the Central government has made several changes to the 1988 Motor Vehicle Act increasing taxes and penalties. The increase will adversely affect around 10,00,000 auto rickshaw owners and drivers.
The Central government enhanced taxes for the auto-rickshaws in November 2016, which was implemented in the state in 2017. The union demanded that the state and Central governments revoke the tax hikes.
The state government has only made bays for the parking of buses at stoppages in the capital but no place has been earmarked for the parking of the auto rickshaws in the city. Similarly, there are around ten lakh auto rickshaws owners and drivers exist in the state. However, both the central government and the state government are reluctant to make any provision in order to provide social security benefits to them.
