Mumbai, Sept 01: Around 9000 diesel-run taxis in the metropolis stopped plying from today in view of August 31 deadline set by supreme court for conversion of their engines to CNG or LPG mode. Due to non-availability of petrol engines in the open market, the taximen who had taken orders for conversion from RTO could not complete the task, Mumbai Taxi Chaalak-Maalak Sena president Deepak Sawant and secretary Dilip B Thammal said in a statement here.
They appealed to State Transport Commissioner (STC) not to cancel the registration of taxis or fine them as we have obeyed the high court order and are not plying the taxis which are not being converted to CNG or LPG.
The Sena would approach the high court tomorrow to seek solution to the scarcity of petrol engine in the state.

Thammal also appealed STC not to harass taxi owners, for parking the vehicles on roads.
The Mumbai High Court had set April 30 as deadline for conversion of diesel engines, which was later extended till yesterday by the supreme court on an appeal by the taxi union. Bureau Report