Nagaland: Taxi travellers bear the brunt of lockdown

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 3 (EMN): Travellers between Dimapur and Kohima have to bear the brunt of the Covid-19 induced lockdown as taxi drivers have been charging exorbitant fares since the restrictions to contain the spread of the virus came into force.

Taxi services were available during the ongoing lockdown but not without an unreasonable hike in fares as people travelling from Dimapur to Kohima or vice versa, had to pay INR 1,500 per head.

During the lockdown, taxis were allowed to carry only two passengers and they were charging INR 3000 per trip, whereas, before the lockdown, a regional taxi plying Kohima and Dimapur would charge only 250 per passenger.

The taxi drivers said that they have to charge INR 3,000 per trip, arguing that they can’t return to Kohima or Dimapur on the same day after reaching the destination.

This trend has been going on since the onset of the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed on March though it is charged more than 50% of the normal taxi fare to dig a hole in the pockets of the travellers.

A local taxi driver from Kohima informed Eastern Mirror that despite the odd-even system of travelling in force, many of his fellow taxi drivers have been ferrying passengers from Kohima to Dimapur and vice-versa charging the same fare, comfortably under the nose of the law enforcing agencies.

Another cab driver admitted that he could drop passengers with the same amount of taxi fare. "We can carry two or three passengers but the fare has to be INR 3,000," he said.

A citizen who had been planning to travel to Dimapur for some work with her brother was unable to travel as she was required to pay INR 6,000 just to return to the commercial hub and return to Kohima.

"They carry two passengers per trip but if they don't find two passengers, they will charge INR 3,000 even to the only passenger," she said.

"Poor people hardly travel even when the fare for one passenger was INR 250 but going down to Dimapur and paying INR 1,500 is too costly," she added.

Interestingly, the SOP issued by the district administration with regard to the commercial vehicles, especially regional and local taxis, had directed the drivers to carry only two passengers from Kohima to Dimapur or vice-versa but didn’t mention the fare. This seems to have given a free-hand to the drivers to fix the fare.

Even the latest notification from Kohima district administration to the commercial vehicles in regard to odd-even traffic regulation which did not mention about taxi fare.

Meanwhile, local taxis in Kohima have been charging INR 50 per passenger, as against INR 30 during the normal period, for town trip which was temporarily enhanced due to the ongoing lockdown.

According to the SOP, the local taxis are supposed to carry only two passengers. However, many cabs are seen travelling around the town with more than two passengers while charging INR 50 per person.