Up in arms: A group of taxi drivers protest during a debate on online taxi at the Sports Council hall in the city on Monday. | Photo Credit: S_RAMESHKURUP more-in Trade union leaders and a section of taxi drivers created stormy scenes during a debate on ‘Online Taxi — Why is it eluding Kozhikode alone?’ organised by the Malabar Chamber of Commerce at the Sports Council hall here on Monday. At the event, attended by District Collector U.V. Jose and senior officers representing the police and the Motor Vehicles Department, union leaders and taxi drivers said the entry of online service providers would be resisted by all means to protect the interests of traditional taxi drivers. The trade union leaders and taxi operators owing allegiance to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Indian National trade Union Congress (INTUC) and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), who dominated the two-and-a-half-hour-long debate, said all online taxi service providers in India were trying trying to flourish by defying government rules. They alleged that the online taxi services were cheating their clients without offering the promised remuneration. Mr. Jose, who took a moderate stance on the issue, said a final decision on the issue could be taken only after conducting a proper statistical study on the pros and cons of the new system. “A white paper covering all aspects is necessary,” he said. “We have to take into account both the concerns of the taxi operators and the consumers,” he added. Urging the taxi operators to adopt a realistic approach considering the changing scenario, Mr. Jose said no one would be able to ignore the interests of an upcoming generation. “We need to have a magic formula to settle this dispute in our city, which will definitely happen on the basis of a statistical study on the field,” he said. Law and order issue Presenting his views on the topic, Assistant Commissioner K.P. Abdul Razak said the police would firmly act in case of any confrontation between the online taxi service providers and their offline counter parts. “The law permits both of them to operate in their own ways and it cannot be challenged on the street, creating law and order issues,” he said. Mr. Razak criticised the taxi operators for failing to come up with a suitable mobile application to take on their rivals in the field. “I had suggested that they come up with one five years ago and it fell on deaf ears,” he said. Kozhikode Regional Transport Officer C.J. Paulson said online taxi service providers could not be treated as criminals for offering service at a lower rate. It would be illegal only when they charged higher, he said. P.P. Anil Kumar, associate professor, National Institute of Technology, Calicut, moderated the discussions and pointed out that the entry of a streamlined service by any competent agency using the latest online technology could not be prohibited in the name of opposition from a particular segment. Representatives of online taxi operators and consumer forums also presented their views.

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