Hyderabad: Around 200 cabbies staged a vanta varpu (cooking) on a road at KPHB on Saturday protesting against the managements of Ola and Uber. They were arrested and released on bail in the evening. Telangana Cab Drivers and Owners Association (TSCDOA) president Shiva Vundulkar said they were trying to protest peacefully without causing any inconvenience to the public. He said their union members were continuing to work so that customers are not affected. “But the management's promises have turned out false. We continue to suffer and are facing police cases and arrests,” Shiva said.
KPHB inspector Ch Kushalkar said the cab drivers did not have permission to hold the protest. Despite a warning not to continue with the protest, they went ahead, the inspector said. “A criminal case under Section 188 was registered. They were arrested for violating the ban orders issued by the police commissioner. They were later released on bail,” the inspector said. While the cabbies said that 30 of their union members were arrested, police said V. Shiva, B. Raju, P. Ravi, K. Bharath, B. Raju and 16 others were detained. The cab drivers had launched a strike demanding cab sharing and other demands.
