Introduction
There has been an unwritten rule in Jammu and Kashmir for
the taxi drivers to follow. Even the authorities don’t poke their nose into
this routine. It has been in existence for almost 13 years. The drivers give
away their cars – mostly Innova or Chevrolet – for a night’s use by the
military personnel attached to 29 Rashtriya Rifles unit in north Kashmir. This
has left the taxi drivers from Baramulla district of Kashmir region in peril.
Due to their association with the military personnel, they have become the
target of militant attacks.
Army-Taxi Drivers Tie Up
For more than a decade, the taxi drivers operating from
stands of Kreeri Wagoora in Baramulla district of north Kashmir have been
giving their vehicles for the Army use. The taxi drivers have pooled together with
their vehicles for this purpose and give their vehicles in turn according to a
roaster prepared by them. The local drivers say that they give their vehicles
to the visiting Army men near their taxi stand. These vehicles would only be
returned by next day evening. The civilian drivers are not allowed to go with
the vehicle. It has been going for almost 13 years. The Army personnel are not
giving rent for the vehicle they are taking. In return for this service, the
vehicle owners – mostly drivers – get just a litre of diesel when the vehicles
are given back. The taxi drivers swear that the kind of compensation given by the
Army authorities is not at all enough to sustain their taxi business.
Woos Faced by Taxi Drivers
When the vehicles are given to the Army authorities, the
vehicle owners don’t know for what purpose it is used. This is because they are
not allowed to go with the vehicle. They speculate that their vehicles are being
used in the night for patrolling and combing operations. They strongly believe
that their vehicle registration number is visible. Hence, they are in all
probability in the hit list of militants against whom the Army is waging a pitch
battle using their vehicles. In some of the recent shooting incidents, the
civilians have been killed by the unknown gunmen. Hence, the taxi drivers are
living with the fear that they might get killed on the road one day when they
are rendering the daily services to the commuters.
Taxi Drivers’ Dilemma
Taxi Drivers also swear that they don’t get adequately paid
for the service they are rendering to the Army personnel. Most of the time, the
vehicles are returned with some repair work pending. The owners of the vehicle
have to spend the money from their pockets to resolve the repair issues. Though
local taxi drivers don’t like to give their vehicle for combing operations by
Army units operating in Kashmir, they are bound by some obligation as part of a
tacit understanding with the Army. Hence, they have to sustain this working
relationship somehow. They have approached the local leaders and MLAs to find a
solution. So far, their plights have fallen to the deaf year. They are ready to
continue the service keeping in mind the needs of army. However, they want
adequate compensation for the service they render and protection from the
authorities for their families.
