Cabbies shunned due to red zone tag

They are now lobbying for permits to operate in the non-containment zones

If the relaxations in lockdown 3.0 opening up the highways has given them some source of income after a month and half without any, the Pune cabbies are finding their inter-state journeys turning into an excruciating experience, shunned as they are outside the state as people from a red zone. Pained by this, they are now seeking that the district administration at least allows them to operate within non-containment zones.

The cab drivers who’ve been taking stranded people to their homes in other states have mostly returned with accounts of how they’ve been denied food and night halts by locals in those states, forcing them to drive long hours on empty stomach, sometimes even without water.

Last week, Yuvraj Anandkar drove a couple of retired defence personnel to Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh. “My onward journey was rather smooth, given the presence of the passengers. However, once I dropped them off, the situation changed drastically. I needed to take a break before setting off on my return journey, but the locals recognised my origin from the vehicle registration number and would not allow me to halt in their locality,” the cabbie recounted to Mirror.

When he finally emerged on the highway and came upon a petrol pump, he requested the security guard of the place to allow him to rest there for a while. “Even he was not open to the idea, pointing out that I was from a red zone. I had to plead with him to allow me to stay and take a nap as I’d been driving for 24 hours without a stop. Finally he relented and allowed me to park my car at the pump, so I could sleep for three to four hours before setting off again,” Anandkar narrated.

The predicament of cabbies on longer hauls have almost turned nightmarish. Sunil Yadav, a resident of Ravet, set off on Tuesday for Jaipur, ferrying people who were stranded in Pune due to the lockdown. “It took me nearly 24 hours to reach Jaipur and on the way we could get no food. Even on my return journey, I barely slept as the local people would not allow me to park my car in their area. Again, I could not get any food to eat. Luckily I had anticipated the situation and carried some snacks, on which I survived through the entire two-way journey,” Yadav explained.

Similarly, on Monday, Sachin Bakshi, another cabbie from Aundh, took a trip to Kutch in Gujarat. “While crossing the state border, the authorities were taking details of passengers and checking our passes. It was done in a matter of two to three minutes. However, the long queue of vehicles waiting to go through the process stretched my travel time, taking me six hours to just cross the state border. What is worse, right through my drive in Gujarat I could find no food,” Bakshi recalled.

He is clearly not keen to repeat the experience. “Pune administration has now given some relaxation in the non-containment zones, so we request the administration to allow cab service in these areas. We have already lost our income for a month and half. If the administration does not allow us to operate within the district, we will be destined to taking these inter-state trips negotiat- ing all the hardships they augur,” Bakshi pointed out.

When Pune municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad was asked about the demands of these cab drivers, he said, “The central government’s guidelines so far have not allowed cab drivers to operate even in non-containment zones. We are hopeful that the central government may give permission to them after May 17 in the revised guidelines. We will be also discussing with the state government on allowing more services, including cabs.”