Railways to remove taxi stand at Kalupur station
Officials of the Ahmedabad railway station want to use the plot occupied by taxi drivers as a car park
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, April 08, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2009040820090408025624795627b3754)
In what may inconvenience passengers, officials of the Ahmedabad railway station have decided to remove a taxi stand on the premises. The move, railway official say, will free up a lot of space for parking, and help generate additional revenue.
Around 250 drivers work in two shifts at the taxi stand, which apparently was set up more than 70 years ago. “For the past several years, taxi drivers have been using the plot without paying any rent: the railway ends up losing lakhs,” a senior divisional commercial manager (DCM),” Udayshankar Jha said. “We have issued an order asking taxi drivers to vacate the plot.”
Jha said that the railway was not against taxi drivers operating at the Ahmedabad station. “They (taxi drivers) can keep their cars at the station by paying a parking fee,” he said. Taxi drivers, however, said that they would protest against the move.
“My father and grandfather have both ferried passengers from here,” a 35-year-old taxi driver, Abdul Sheikh, said. “We are honest people, who care about passengers’ convenience. Why are they (railway officials) trying to drive us away?” Sheikh said that he and others would protest against the removal of the taxi stand. “Taxi drivers are given free parking space at railway stations across the country,” the 35-year-old said.
Another taxi driver, Arvind Rathore, said that passengers would be inconvenienced if the taxi stand was removed. “So far, we have not received any order from railway officials. However, if we are asked to move from here, we will urge them to reconsider their decision,” Rathore said.Sources in the Ahmedabad railway division said that an effort to move taxi drivers from the Kalupur station was made in 2006, but to little avail. “Taxi drivers went on a fast, which forced railway officials to scrap their plan,” the sources said.
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, April 08, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2009040820090408025624795627b3754)
In what may inconvenience passengers, officials of the Ahmedabad railway station have decided to remove a taxi stand on the premises. The move, railway official say, will free up a lot of space for parking, and help generate additional revenue.
Around 250 drivers work in two shifts at the taxi stand, which apparently was set up more than 70 years ago. “For the past several years, taxi drivers have been using the plot without paying any rent: the railway ends up losing lakhs,” a senior divisional commercial manager (DCM),” Udayshankar Jha said. “We have issued an order asking taxi drivers to vacate the plot.”
Jha said that the railway was not against taxi drivers operating at the Ahmedabad station. “They (taxi drivers) can keep their cars at the station by paying a parking fee,” he said. Taxi drivers, however, said that they would protest against the move.
“My father and grandfather have both ferried passengers from here,” a 35-year-old taxi driver, Abdul Sheikh, said. “We are honest people, who care about passengers’ convenience. Why are they (railway officials) trying to drive us away?” Sheikh said that he and others would protest against the removal of the taxi stand. “Taxi drivers are given free parking space at railway stations across the country,” the 35-year-old said.
Another taxi driver, Arvind Rathore, said that passengers would be inconvenienced if the taxi stand was removed. “So far, we have not received any order from railway officials. However, if we are asked to move from here, we will urge them to reconsider their decision,” Rathore said.Sources in the Ahmedabad railway division said that an effort to move taxi drivers from the Kalupur station was made in 2006, but to little avail. “Taxi drivers went on a fast, which forced railway officials to scrap their plan,” the sources said.
