NEW DELHI — Commercial vehicle operators across the National Capital Region (NCR) are set to observe a three-day strike from May 21 to May 23, threatening to disrupt local transit networks. Driver unions announced the industrial action following a prolonged deadlock over local fare structures, which operators claim have failed to keep pace with changing economic realities.
According to union representatives, taxi fares in the Delhi-NCR region have remained completely stagnant for the past 15 years. The striking bodies argue that maintaining a decade-and-a-half-old tariff model is no longer financially viable, especially given the steep and continuous rise in the prices of compressed natural gas (CNG), petrol, and diesel over the same period. This severe mismatch between operating expenses and regulated returns has placed an unsustainable financial burden on individual drivers and fleet operators alike.
The primary objective of the upcoming strike is to compel transport authorities to implement an immediate upward revision in taxi and auto-rickshaw fares. Drivers assert that an urgent hike is essential to offset inflationary pressures and safeguard their livelihoods. Furthermore, union leaders have issued a firm warning to the administration, stating that if their current demands are ignored, they will initiate a significantly larger and more prolonged agitation across the capital region.
