Strikes can be counterproductive. Especially if inaction on the part of the culprits improves the situation, which is exactly what happened in Mumbai. The air pollution data showed significant improvement after taxi operators went on strike, revealing clearly where pollution was coming from.

Commuters faced a harrowing time when taxi operators went on strike twice to protest the pollution control measures of the transport department and anti-pollution campaign of local NGOs. The first strike came about on October 23, 1999. On December 15, 1999 the judiciary formed a nodal committee under the chairmanship of Vinay Mohan Lal, the transport commissioner whose moves had annoyed the operators. The committee was to recommend on key issues related to reducing air pollution.

The second strike was a bigger