All-India permit taxi drivers threaten to block DND

Noida:Drivers of petrol and diesel taxis with All India Tourist Permit (AITP) on Wednesday threatened to organise a dharna on DND Flyway again, if they are not allowed to ply in Delhi-NCR till their permits expire.
Over 50 cab drivers who were earlier ferrying passengers for app-based companies like Ola and Uber and are also AITP holders, said they will wait for the Delhi government's action-plan to be filed on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Delhi government had proposed to replace diesel taxis with CNG ones in a "phased manner". On Thursday, it will present an action plan before the Environment Pollution Control Authority appointed by the apex court.
"We will wait for the government to file its action plan. If it is feasible and favourable, we will discuss our next course of action accordingly," said Manmohan Chauhan, a diesel taxi driver/owner.
There is no technology to convert a diesel vehicle to CNG. "Converting means you replace your engine entirely, which is very costly," he said, adding taxi owners were ready to convert, on condition they are allowed to ply in Delhi-NCR till their permits last.
The drivers also said their livelihood is at stake, alleging that app-based cab aggregators with whom they were partnering, have already replaced them with those who own CNG-run cabs.
A Ola source, though, reaffirmed that the company is just a cab aggregator and does not own cabs. "We just facilitate commuters' travel by providing them technology and a platform to find a cab," the source said.