Being overcharged by taxi drivers, say tourists stranded in Nainital as rains continue to batter Uttarakhand

Nainital (Uttarakhand) [India], October 20 : Tourists who are stranded in Uttarakhand's Nainital due to heavy rainfall and landslides said that they are being charged more than usual by taxi drivers.

While speaking to ANI, Olivia Ganguly, a tourist from Kolkata, said, "We could not step out yesterday due to rain. We have a train at 10 pm today from Kathgodam. Do not know how will we reach there. Only a few buses are running. Shared vehicles are also demanding Rs 500-600 per head, reserved vehicles are demanding Rs 3,000-3,500."

Deepak, a taxi driver, said, "Haldwani route is closed. We are going through Kaladhungi which is why we are charging more. It took me three days to reach Nainital from Haldwani because the roads are washed away. We are demanding only Rs 300, passengers say even that is more."
The overall death toll in rain-battered Uttarakhand has mounted to 46 following several incidents of flash floods and landslides in the past few days.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakhs for the families of 46 people who died due to heavy rains in the state.
He further informed that a relief amount of Rs 10 crore has been released for every district and the officials have been instructed to re-open roads that have been blocked due to heavy rains.