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Life is already an uphill battle for the common man. Every day, we wake up to hustle, battle inflation, and just try to survive. But for the next few days, that struggle is going to be a lot heavier, and a lot sadder, for thousands of people in Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula.

The ongoing cab strike—stretching until June 16—is a tragic reminder of a broken system where everyone is losing. 

On one side, you have exhausted drivers crying out for fairness; on the other, you have desperate commuters stranded under the unforgiving sun. 

It is a story of shared misery.

The Drivers' Silent Tears: 14-Hour Days for Crumbs

It’s easy to feel frustrated when your ride gets cancelled, but look closely at the person behind the wheel. These drivers aren’t striking out of greed; they are striking out of sheer desperation.

Imagine driving for 14 to 16 grueling hours a day just to keep your head above water. Your health is deteriorating, your family barely sees you, and the risk of an accident looms with every blink of your heavy eyelids. 

Why? 

Because the current rate is Rs 25 per kilometer, which is barely enough for fuel.

The Math of Despair:

Out of the little they earn, drivers must pay for skyrocketing CNG prices, crushing vehicle loan EMIs, insurance premiums, and maintenance. To make matters worse, cab booking corporate apps snatch away a staggering 30% to 40% commission.

The drivers are begging for a fare increase to Rs 35 per kilometer, not to become rich, but simply to survive. The Chandigarh Aggregator Policy, meant to protect them, has been sitting on a shelf gathering dust for a year. The drivers feel like they have been left entirely unprotected.

The Commuters' Agony: Stranded in the Blazing Heat

While drivers sit in protest at the Sector 25 Rally Ground, a different kind of tragedy unfolds on the streets. More than 50,000 daily passengers have had their lives completely disrupted.

The hardest part to watch is who this hits the most. Between 10 am and 4 pm—the absolute peak of the daytime heat—the apps go dark.

1. The Sick and Vulnerable: Patients and their anxious relatives trying to reach hospitals like PGIMER and GMCH-32 are left stranded, desperately searching for a way to get to their appointments.
2. The Helpless: Senior citizens, women, and young children are left standing on scorching roadsides, watching empty roads, waiting for opportunist auto drivers.
3. The Exploited: With cabs unavailable, some auto-rickshaw operators are seizing the opportunity to charge inflated, unfair fares, squeezing the last remaining rupees out of helpless commuters.

While CTU buses are doing their best to fill the gaps on major routes, they are packed to the brim, turning a daily commute into an exhausting test of endurance.

A Breakdown of the Shared Struggle

When Will the Suffering End?

This isn't just a dispute over corporate policies or fare charts; it is a human crisis.
It is the story of an honest driver who cannot afford his next EMI, and a worried mother trying to get her sick child to the hospital in the afternoon heat. 

Two struggling segments of society have been forced into a corner, waiting for the Chandigarh Administration to finally step in and do something.

The Tricity will remain stranded in this cycle of collective heartbreak, until the right people do the right thing.