Chennai: The operators of cab service, auto-rickshaw, and small truck drivers and their families have asked the Tamil Nadu Government to provide financial assistance to them of Rs. 5000 and free PDS commodities to each family since they have lost their livelihood due to the ongoing pandemic lockdown.
Mr. K Arumuga Nainar, the chief of Tamil Nadu Road Transport Employees Association, has said that the Tamil Nadu Government has not offered any financial support to the drivers even though their details are available with the government.
He also said that the government had announced financial aid would be made available to the drivers who are the member’s welfare board. But out of the twenty lakh drivers across the state, only eighty-five thousand are registered members of the board.
On Sunday, the association has written a letter to the Tamil Nadu State government Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to provide relief to all the drivers who are not the members of the board and their families.
He also stated that the government has insisted that they don’t have the details of all the drivers who aren’t the members. But as per the association, when the vehicle is registered, all the details of the driver are taken by the regional transport office.
Also, there is a huge sum of the money available with the welfare board with which they can provide relief to families of the driver.
The cess collected when the vehicle is registered into the account of the welfare board. The estimated amount in the account is about Rs. 300 crore, which can be used during the lockdown and when the drivers are without the work.
One of the drivers stated that he used to earn not less than Rs. 2000 and a major part of the of his daily earned amount goes to the payment of EMI for the loan he has taken from the finance company. He also needs the money for the petrol and vehicle maintenance and the remaining for his personal expense for the family. Now due to the lockdown situation, he is stuck without any income.