Private commercial vehicles of Delhi, Noida were on strike today

NEW DELHI: The United Front of Transport Associations (UFTA) have called for a strike in Delhi and Noida, protesting the harsh penalties imposed with the new amended Motor Vehicles Act. This strike will see cluster buses, private buses, auto-rickshaws, a section of app-based cabs, trucks, grameen sevas and school vans not operating for the day.

Several private schools across the city are closed. According to reports, apart from schools, several companies and industries in Noida are not working today.

The UFTA, which has called for the strike, is an umbrella body representing 41 associations and unions of goods and passenger segments, including trucks, buses, autos, tempos, maxi-cabs and taxis plying in the Delhi-NCR region. The UFTA stated that no private commercial vehicle will be running on Delhi roads from 6 am to 9.30 pm on Thursday, September 19. “Our main demand is that the exorbitant penalties under the amended MV Act should be reviewed. It is nothing but a source of corruption. While the government has increased the fines, it has not supported it with any infrastructure. Why do we still not have any scientific evidence of challans? Traffic inspectors still are not equipped with body-worn cameras or collar microphones. The government has assured that an ACP or SDM rank official will issue challans of higher value, but that did not happen,” Harish Sabharwal, chairman, UFTA, said