TPCC promises succour to cab drivers if elected to power in Telangana

HYDERABAD: Telangana Congress leaders promised on Wednesday that if their party is elected to power in the next elections, they will provide all necessary assistance to cab drivers and other travel industry employees.

They were speaking at the Drivers Aavedana Sabha, which was jointly organised by all cab owner and driver associations on Wednesday at Babu Jagjivan Ram Hall in Kothapet.

TPCC Spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin said that the Congress party would come up with a separate declaration with specific promises for the drivers and travel industry. The declaration would be on the lines of the Warangal Declaration which was unveiled by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Warangal in May this year. He said he would request TPCC President A. Revanth Reddy to conduct an interactive meeting with all the drivers' associations to understand their problems and explore possible solutions.

He also said that the Congress party would enlist all those promises for the drivers' welfare in its manifesto for the next Assembly elections.

Nizamuddin, who is also the President of the Telangana State Cabs & Bus Operators Association (TSCBOA), said that the drivers were facing a lot of problems including health, housing, children's education, insurance, etc., He said none of the drivers got double-bed room house promised by the BRS Govt. Random health check-ups conducted by the various associations and NGOs revealed that a majority of drivers were suffering from one or other health issues. But they have no access to proper healthcare due to limited income. Similarly, the children of drivers and other staff in the travel industry could not afford to provide good education to their children, since they were not getting any scholarships or other assistance.

He said that the present BJP Govt at the Centre and the BRS Govt in Telangana did nothing for the welfare of these drivers who work up to 16-18 hours daily to earn their livelihood.

The Congress leader said that the next Congress Govt would come up with a special scheme to help the drivers and address all their grievances. He said several cab drivers and other workers had an interaction with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Following Rahul Gandhi's suggestion, the Rajasthan Government headed by Ashok Gehlot had announced a new welfare scheme for those associated with app-based businesses like Ola, Uber, Swiggy and Zomato. He said a similar scheme would be launched in Telangana. Further, he said that service charges for Ola and Uber services would be reduced from the present 30 percent to just 5 percent.

Former MLA E. Anil said that the Congress party would give one party ticket to the driver in the next Assembly elections. He said that the Modi Govt waived off loans and taxes of nearly Rs. 10 lakhs for the big corporates. However, it did nothing for the drivers who play a crucial role in the travel and tourism industries. He said not even a single EMI of cab drivers was waived off. He said that the next Congress Govt would give due recognition to the travel industry and help everyone associated with it.