Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Apr 5: As the election draws near, taxi and maxi cab owners face significant inconvenience as the district administration mandates the use of their vehicles for election-related tasks.

Summer is typically a busy season for taxi and maxi cab operators, as school holidays and family vacations contribute to increased demand for transportation services. Moreover, traditional religious rituals such as Kola, Nema, temple fairs, and weddings commonly occur during the months of March, April, and May.

The district administration's failure to pay taxi rents on time causes taxi owners to incur losses from both ends. In the last assembly elections in May 2023, the district administration of Dakshina Kannada utilized 276 taxis, 303 buses, and 171 maxi cabs. However, most taxi owners were only paid their rents after eight months. In response to this issue, the District Taxi and Maxi Cab Association wrote a letter to the Election Commission, demanding the settlement of outstanding payments, threatening to withhold their vehicles for the Lok Sabha elections. Subsequently, the EC released the rental payments.

Deputy commissioner (DC) Mullai Muhilan stated that there were no pending rental payments for vehicles used in the last assembly elections. Conversely, Ananda Gowda, the president of the Dakshina Kannada Taximen and Maxi Cab Association, mentioned, "As the Lok Sabha elections approached, most of the pending rents for taxis and maxi cabs were paid. However, in rural areas, some taxi owners are still awaiting payment.

“Taxis and maxi cabs are hired for election duty separately by the offices of DC, SP, and tahsildars. They are used for various tasks by officers from different departments. However, once the elections are concluded, the officers return to their respective departments without providing records of trips, days, etc. As a result, taxi owners are forced to chase after their dues. Instead of this, vehicles should be hired through the DC office, which should ensure that the rent is paid promptly,” he said.

Kamalaksha, the chief secretary of the association, stated, “Vehicles are hired on a 24-hour basis, with a fixed rent of Rs 2700 for the entire duration. However, even if we work from early morning until late at night, we only receive half of the amount. Sometimes, we struggle to save even Rs 500 in a whole day.

"Taxis are rented out for a period of 40 days, during which we are unable to utilize the vehicle for any other purpose unless it is released by the election duty officers. Despite this, the payment of rent is often delayed by several months. This creates significant inconvenience for us, as we still have to cover expenses such as loan installments for the vehicle, insurance, and school fees for our children. Personnel from other departments who are enlisted for election duty receive honorary payments on the same day. We believe the same should be extended to the owners of hired taxis and maxi cabs,” he said.

Shubhakara Shetty, the joint secretary, expressed, “We are required to be available for duty 24 hours a day during election periods, while election officers operate in shifts. We often do not even have time to rest.”

A taxi owner raised a concern, stating, “Vehicles heading to get FC at the RTO are sometimes diverted for election duty. During the last assembly elections, some taxis were stopped midway, and passengers were forced to disembark as the vehicles were commandeered by election duty officers and police. Is it justified for the administration to subject taxi owners to such treatment under the guise of election duties?”

Another taxi owner, who wished to remain anonymous, remarked, “We acknowledge the challenges faced by government officials during elections. However, they also need to understand our hardships, and both parties must collaborate more effectively.”