Darjeeling, May 2: Taxi syndicates
in Kurseong launched an indefinite strike from today to protest the
administration’s decision to shift the vehicles’ parking to outside the
town.
Even vehicles
ferrying school students and drinking water to residents did not ply in
Kurseong today. Over 500 taxis operate in Kurseong under 19 syndicates.
Earlier, taxies
used to park along NH55 and Burdwan Road in town. But from today, the
vehicles would be allocated space at the INA Bus Terminus and Monteviot
Football Ground, which are outside the town area.
The Kurseong
subdivisional officer, U. Swaroop, had issued an order on April 29
re-arranging the parking system, citing traffic chaos in the town.
Tilak Gurung, the
president of Chalak Mahasangh, an umbrella organisation of the
syndicates, said: “We have called an indefinite transport strike in
Kurseong to protest the new traffic system. The administration could
have waited till the new parking space is built. With the administration
refusing to allow any vehicle to be parked in the town area, the public
will be largely inconvenienced.”
According to the
new system, only one vehicle per syndicate would be allowed to come to
the town. Once these vehicles leave with passengers, the next taxi in
queue can come to the earmarked space and pick up commuters.
Gurung said: “If
only one vehicle per syndicate is allowed to come to the town, there
will be chaos during rush hours. If people are to get onto the taxis at
the bus terminus and Monteviot Ground, they will have to walk for more
than a kilometre.”
The SDO said taxi
drivers had been consulted in February before taking the decision to
change the parking space. “This is not a unilateral decision. They (taxi
drivers) had probably thought that the new system would not be put in
place so early.”
Gurung, however,
said a final decision had not been taken at the meeting. “Five or six
representatives of various syndicates had attended the meeting. However,
a final decision had not been taken. The representatives, too, have to
speak to the members of the syndicates before agreeing to the
administration’s decision.”
A multilevel
parking lot is being built by the GTA Sabha in the town and according to
Swaroop, given the present state of traffic in Kurseong, it was
difficult to wait till the construction was over. The parking lot is
likely to be completed only at the end of this year.
Gurung said a delegation of taxi drivers would meet the SDO tomorrow.(TT)