Police said a group of drivers were staging a protest in front of the HRBR Layout office of Meru cabs against the management’s refusal to hike their pay. The protesters said the management was paying them only Rs 60 for every four kilometres, which was insufficient to meet the increasing costs. They demanded the management to pay Rs 150 per km.
“Instead of heeding to our demands, the management has decided to add 400 more cabs to the existing fleet of 1,200. Finding customers is already an arduous task. Any addition of vehicles will only intensify our problems,” a cab driver told Deccan Herald.
The protest, however, took an ugly turn when a few drivers, who came to the office to deposit their day’s collection, refused to support their protesting colleagues.
The protesters started throwing stones at the office, cars parked outside and set bikes on fire. Five two-wheelers were completely burnt by the time fire personnel and police reached the spot.
Published 30 April 2011, 18:29 IST