Pune: The Ola and Uber drivers’ strike continued on Wednesday, the third day of the strike called by Maharashtra Navnirman Vahatuk Sena, Mumbai. The passengers are forced to use auto-rickshaws and are being fleeced.
A cab driver lodged a complaint against six persons for damaging his car for plying despite the strike call.
The FIR was lodged at Bharati Police station by Amit Barke (30), resident of Somwar Peth. The police arrested Gajanan Patil (30), Jaidatt Rupnar, Arun Bhosle, Shahaji Patil, Prakash Bhosle, Girish Pandhre and Arvind Bhosale.
According to the FIR, “Amit Barke was plying his cab near Katraj Bypass Chowk to Narhe Highway Road, Katraj. The accused were holding a political party flag and had sticks. They stopped Barke’s vehicle and asked him not to ply. They used abusive language and broke glass windows of the car which cost Rs 4,000.” API SA Gaikwad is investigating the matter.
The aggregators claimed several drivers have resumed service, though the unions are forcing them to stay away. “While we have seen a slight improvement in our services in Pune, for the situation to improve significantly, it is imperative that intimidation of our driver partners and vandalism of their cars by vested interests be stopped. New economy companies like us are counting on the police for normalcy to return,” said an Ola spokesperson.
Uber’s response was much the same. “Over the past 24 hours, a large number of our driver partners in Pune have reached out to us after they were forcefully asked to go offline by a small group of protestors. These protests continue to inconvenience riders and have impacted our ability to serve the city,” a spokesperson said.
Strike called off: Ola
† Ola on Wednesday claimed that the strike was called off with immediate effect. An Ola spokesperson said, "Confirmed, the strike being called off with immediate effect.”
† The Ola spokesperson also stated, "Ola would like to apologise to all its customers for the inconvenience caused due to factors beyond its control. With every passing hour, our cabs are fast getting back on the road to service the mobility needs of all customers. Thank you for your continued trust and understanding."
