Uber drivers protest at Jantar Mantar against the ban on the cab service in Delhi
Hundreds of cab drivers employed with Uber, the internet-based taxi firm, today staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding revocation of the ban imposed on the company's operations in the national capital.
The protesters said their livelihood was getting affected by the ban which was imposed after a 27-year-old woman, finance executive, was raped allegedly by an Uber driver last week.
Ranjit Ray, who has been working with the company since it started its services in Delhi, said Uber's operations were transparent and it had also helped several drivers get finance from banks to buy their own cars.
"Uber helped me get a loan and I bought my own car two months back. It made me independent. The company has always thought about the
welfare of its drivers unlike others. We have been driving taxis for the past so many years. Just because one person is wrong, it is not justified that we all suffer and our only source of livelihood is snatched," he said.
Naresh Mehta, who also works for the company, said the accused driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav, had an All India Tourist Permit, which is required for any commercial driver in India.
"To get the permit, an applicant needs a driver's badge, issued by the state government after a background check for criminal history. How could the case of rape filed against him go unnoticed during the verification by the state government? Is it (government) not at fault too?" he said.
"I have a daughter too and we know what the woman and her family is going through. Shiv Kumar Yadav should be punished. But then, we want that all formalities and checks required for the company's registration should be carried out so that it can operate in the city," he added.
Another driver employed with the company said, "Yadav's permit was based on forged documents which clearly indicates the malpractices prevalent in the government departments."