Taxi owners and drivers in Aurangabad have demanded that the EMIs on their vehicle loans be deferred in the wake of strict restrictions enforced in Maharashtra to check the spread of Covid-19.

The Jay Sangharsh Vahan Chalak Sanghatna, an umbrella body of taxi owners and drivers here, in a memorandum to Aurangabad collector on Tuesday said tourist and religious places in the state have been shut in the wake of the pandemic and this has adversely affected their earnings.

"We are already facing problems because of the negative impact on our income. We have taken loans to buy our vehicles and banks are demanding its repayment, due to which we are under stress," the association said in its plea.

Hence, the taxi owners and drivers want that their EMIs be deferred till the situation normalises, the association's president, Sanjay Halnor, said.

"The banks should not impose a fine on us during the period of Covid-19-related restrictions," he said.

Reeling under an unprecedented Covid-19 wave, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced severe restrictions on public movement over the next 15 days across the state.

The restrictions, which exclude essential services, will come into effect from 8 pm on Wednesday and remain in force till 7 am on May 1.

Section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting assembly of five or more people at one spot, will be in force during the period, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said.

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