Surat Tempo Drivers Strike Over Illegal Parking Fees

Surat, Gujarat – A simmering cauldron of frustration boiled over Wednesday in the bustling textile market in Surat. Tempo drivers, the very lifeline of the industry, unanimously declared an indefinite strike against what they call the “naked dance of arbitrariness” by parking mafias.  On Wednesday morning, a powerful Mahapanchayat near Kamela Darwaza on Ring Road saw hundreds of drivers vote to immediately halt the delivery of grey cloth, threatening to cripple the city’s vital textile trade until their grievances are addressed.

For months, the Tempo Association and the Workers’ Union have been vocalizing their outrage against arbitrary and illegal collections in the name of parking. Despite repeated pleas to the district administration, police, municipal corporation, and textile associations like the South Gujarat Textile Processors Association, FOSTA, and FOGWA, the situation has only worsened. Instead of resolution, parking charges have escalated daily, pushing the drivers to the brink.

“We genuinely wanted to avoid a strike and resolve this through dialogue,” stated Shravan Singh Thakur, President of the Tempo Association, addressing the Mahapanchayat. “But we are simply not being heard at any level, including the government and administration. Now, a strike is our only recourse.”

The frustration was palpable as Umashankar Mishra, President of the Workers’ Union, delivered a hard-hitting statement: “The naked dance of arbitrariness is over. Our poor tempo drivers will not be robbed anymore in the name of parking charges. This agitation will continue relentlessly until this daylight robbery stops!”

Shan Khan, Spokesperson for the Workers’ Union, rallied the crowd, urging unity. “We have to unite and raise our voice against this arbitrariness and atrocity. This strike is a non-cooperation movement against those who suck the blood of tempo drivers to fill their coffers.”

The core of the dispute revolves around extortionate and often illegitimate parking fees. Saroj Tiwari, General Secretary of the Textile Mills Tempo Delivery Contractors Association, highlighted the severe financial burden. “Today, parking charges of ₹70 to ₹100 per hour are being collected in market parking lots. If we pay this much in parking, what will we save? There is no way out now except for agitation.”

The drivers point to several key issues fueling their protest:

Illegal Parking Operations: Numerous private and municipal open plots on Ring Road and Surat-Kadodara Road have been converted into “illegal parking lots” where tempo drivers are charged exorbitant sums (₹70-₹100 per turn). These operations often provide no receipts, possess no legal permissions or licenses, and operate without GST or clerk registration, functioning entirely outside regulatory control.

Double Charging in Municipal Parking: Even in the Municipal Corporation’s own multi-level parking facilities, tempo drivers report being illegally charged multiple times within the same building and compound.

Unauthorized Charges by Contractors: Contractors operating the Municipal Corporation’s “Pay and Park” zones on Ring Road are allegedly collecting fees from drivers for parking vehicles outside the officially allotted parking areas.

Fenil Mahadevwala, Vice President of the Workers’ Union, minced no words, accusing authorities of complicity. “The inaction of the relevant departments against these arbitrary and illegal collections by parking mafias is a clear sign of their collusion. Therefore, a full-scale agitation will have to be launched not only against the parking mafia but also against the officials who protect them.”