Traffic came to a standstill for nearly 30 minutes on the Panjagutta flyover in Hyderabad on Monday after an Uber cab driver doused himself with petrol, and attempted to kill himself.

According to reports, G Ramesh stopped his cab in the middle of the flyover near the Joy Alukkas showroom to commit the act. However, the people around him managed to stop him from setting himself on fire.

"The traffic on came to a standstill as the cab driver poured petrol over his body in a bid to kill himself. Ramesh damaged his vehicle by breaking its windshield. Ramesh purchased his car for Rs 5 lakh and he had to pay an EMI of Rs 19,850. Initially, he had also joined the agitating cab drivers, but later withdrew from the protest due to financial reasons," Panjagutta inspector S Mohan Kumar told the Times of India. 

The police added that Ramesh was in no condition to pay the EMI due to a lack of sufficient bookings.

Meanwhile, the strike by cab associations entered the tenth day on Monday.

However, with talks failing and the government refusing to intervene further, the cab drivers are expected to end the protest soon. 

After more than a week of being off the roads, a section of the cab drivers were back on the streets.

The strike is said to be taking a heavy toll on the financial condition of the drivers, besides causing an inconvenience to several commuters in the city.

Since December 30, a large number of cabs in Hyderabad have been off the streets.

The drivers have demanded that no new cabs be licensed until existing drivers are guaranteed a minimum of daily bookings.

"The managements should give us at least 12 guaranteed bookings during peak hours for the first five years of each cab,” the association said in an earlier statement.

The drivers have also sought protection from the company, when incidents of miscreants booking a cab, beating up the driver, and stealing the car occur.

On Monday, Ola sent out a message via its app that read, "We are now back and fully functional in Hyderabad. Sorry for the inconvenience caused."

In a message to the media, Telangana Cab Drivers' and Owners' Association President Shiva, also stated that he would 'hand over' the protest to retired Justice Chandra Kumar, CITU state secretary Sai Baba and JAC chairman Kodandaram at a press meet on Tuesdaymorning at Gandhi hospital, where he is presently on a hunger strike.