Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 23 (ANI): Auto-rickshaw drivers in Tamil Nadu's capital, Chennai, requested the state government to allow them to resume plying of vehicles on the road as they are facing hardships due to the continued prohibition even during the fourth phase of COVID-19 induced lockdown.

Relaxing the COVID-19 lockdown norms, the Tamil Nadu government had on Friday allowed plying of autos and cycle rikshaws from May 23, with only one passenger on board from 7 am to 7 pm. The directive, however, did not apply to Chennai and other containment zones.

Also Read | Data Related to COVID-19 Patients Shared by Kerala Govt Deleted, Sprinklr Informs High Court.

Arjunana, an auto driver, narrating his sufferings to ANI said that most of the people in his line were suffering due to a lack of any alternate source of income during the past two months.

"We cannot find any other source of income than plying autos, we have been struggling to make ends meet for the past two months. Moreover, this decision of not allowing autos to ply in Chennai, while it is allowed in other districts has impacted us further," Arjunana said.

Also Read | Eid Moon Sighting 2020 in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh: Shawwal Crescent Not Sighted, Eid-al-Fitr to be Celebrated on May 25.

"We request the Chief Minister to allow autos to ply on roads as it is difficult to sustain now without money," he added.

Sakthivel, another auto driver, agreed with the former and also urged the state government to reconsider its decision.

710 new COVID-19 cases and 5 deaths were reported in Tamil Nadu on Saturday, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 15,512, according to the State Health Department. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)