Traffic jams all over Delhi as diesel taxi drivers protest against decision to bar them from plying
The agitators blocked key access points including NH8 and the ring road, which led to major congestion in various parts of the city.
Commuters struggled in New Delhi on Monday as the drivers of diesel taxis, which have been barred from the Capital’s roads, blocked key access points, causing major traffic jams. The drivers held up traffic on the arterial National Highway 8 and ring road, protesting against the Supreme Court’s decision to maintain the April 30 deadline for converting their taxis to CNG.
According to the Hindustan Times, the protests caused a jam that stretched 5 kilometres on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. Major hold-ups were reported from the DND Flyway and the Delhi-Faridabad border, among several other parts of the city. The protesters, believed to be about 400 in all, also blocked the toll plaza at Sirhaul.
There was also a massive shortage of taxis, given that 27,000 of Delhi’s 60,000 taxis run on diesel. On Saturday, the Supreme Court had said it "cannot keep extending" the deadline for taxis to switch to the greener fuel, and that it was their prerogative to make the change. The previous deadline was March 31
