As restrictions return, Amritsar taxi drivers left in lurch

Neeraj Bagga

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 28

Intensified restrictions in the wake of the Covid pandemic’s second wave have ravaged the business of taxi operators in the city. Anil Arora, a taxi operator, has put all his three taxis on sale. About six years back, he had procured a 12-seater tempo traveller in advance and its Rs22,000 per month instalment was still continuing. Encouraged from its success, soon he procured two more taxis — Innova Crysta and Etios. The EMIs of these two vehicles — Rs22,000 and Rs10,500 — are also being paid. Awaiting the response of buyers, he asked all his three drivers to search for jobs as he would not be in a position to pay them from the next month.

This is not the only such case. Most of the taxi operators are out of job for the past over a year. Many drivers had financed a vehicle to augment their income but are in deplorable condition. Harjit Singh, a driver, said he had been a driver for the past two decades.

“With the surge in tourists’ footfall, I had financed a vehicle four years ago. After finding me unable to repay the loan, a finance agency seized the vehicle in September,” he said adding that most of the drivers were paid a paltry salary of Rs3,000 to Rs4,000 per month and their income mainly came from per km charges and night stays during a trip, which was not being paid since March last year, when the lockdown was introduced. Unlocking of the nation paved the way for re-opening of hotels and restaurants on June 8. But, it did not benefit us much as the tourism industry was hit hard by the pandemic.

Another taxi operator Bhupinder Singh said there was no change in the situation and the near future continued to remain bleak as the infections were again rising at an alarming rate and people were reluctant in making travel trips. Also, the governments were intensifying restrictions to curtail the movement of people.

He asserted that hoteliers and restaurants did manage to earn something out of the unlocking of the lockdown but taxi operators were affected the worst. Retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah joint check-post was closed in March last year and it continues to remain out of the bound of people. Situated nearly 36 km away from the city, the demand of taxis used to be the highest on this route.

He said the government was not taking a note of the plight of taxi operators who earned their bread from tourism.