Fuel price hike hits drivers hard

Hyderabad: The diesel prices in the States have crossed the Rs 100-mark a few days back. And as on Saturday, the diesel price in Hyderabad was Rs 102.82 per litre, while on October 1 the same was Rs 98.39. The constant hiking has presented several issues to cab, truck and lorry drivers, who are yet […]

Hyderabad: The diesel prices in the States have crossed the Rs 100-mark a few days back. And as on Saturday, the diesel price in Hyderabad was Rs 102.82 per litre, while on October 1 the same was Rs 98.39.

The constant hiking has presented several issues to cab, truck and lorry drivers, who are yet to recover from the financial crisis created by the second wave of the pandemic.

Giving insight about the plight of cab drivers, Shaik Salauddin, founder and president of Telangana Gig And Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), says, “Since March 2020, the cab drivers and delivery partners didn’t have any work for a good six to seven months. The companies weren’t supporting them financially as well. Only now they have started working regularly again. And while the orders were more, the cab fares weren’t revised, and neither was their share in the earnings. Now, the rise in the diesel prices are adding to the already burdened pockets of the drivers.” Some of the truck drivers, who had bought their vehicle on loan, had to sell it off to ease their financial crisis.

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Md Khaja, a truck owner and driver from the city, says that despite the workload the compensation did not increase. “We are still carrying the load for the same prices that we did before the lockdown was announced. I sold one of my trucks very recently as I was finding it difficult to pay my EMIs. Since May this year, the per litre diesel prices have increased around Rs 15, however, our income is the same. Add to this the loans most truck owners take to buy the vehicle. It is getting very difficult to run our kitchens now.”

To voice the concerns of these drivers, the Telangana State Lorry Owners Association, is planning a meeting before Diwali.

“It is quite sad that the government doesn’t pay any attention to our issues. They have increased the fuel prices but haven’t ensured that the drivers get their fair share for the work they do. We are planning to call for one day’s strike before Diwali for the same,” adds the association’s president, Manchireddy Rajender Reddy.

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