Auto rickshaw drivers in the Indian capital have been on strike for a second consecutive day Tuesday, in protest of government crackdown on drivers operating without permits, licenses and pollution control certificates, said traffic police.

Most of over 55,000 auto-rickshaws remained off the roads Tuesday, causing difficulty for commuters as the yellow and green color auto-rickshaws are one of the most important means of transport for individuals in the capital region and one of the symbolic vehicles of public transport in India.

Commuters have to take overcrowded buses without air condition to get to their work places Monday and Tuesday.

The Delhi government has decided to take action against auto drivers who are working without government rules.

"Auto-rickshaw drivers are striking to resist any kind of clean- up. We will not let the unruliness continue on Delhi's roads with drivers plying without a licence," said Delhi Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely.

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2009)