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Uber and Ola drivers stand next to their parked vehicle's during a protest in New Delhi, India, February 14, 2017.Reuters file [Representational Image]

The Karnataka transport department has imposed a ban on carpooling in the state and asked cab aggregators Ola and Uber to withdraw the cab share feature from their app.

The cab companies have been asked to follow the rules immediately. In a meeting conducted to understand the concerns of the drivers under such cab facilitators, transport commissioner VP Ikkeri said that strict action will be taken against the firms that facilitate carpooling.

"Action will be taken against Ola and Uber if they continue to feature carpooling option in their app as it is not acceptable under the present Act. We will write to the government to take a decision on carpooling services. Till then, such services will be illegal," he said.

He also said that the cab aggregators should follow the license rules and should only add any additional features after getting approval from the government.

Tanveer Pasha, who heads an association of drivers, said that they would wait two days for the companies to enforce the ban. "If there is a violation of the ban, we will submit a petition with evidence and seek action against the company," he said, reports Deccan Herald.

Earlier, the government had tried to ban the carpooling feature in 2017 but had to withdraw due to severe objection from transport experts.