New Delhi, Aug 18 - Over 55,000 auto-rickshaws remained off the roads for the second consecutive day Tuesday causing great hardship to commuters even as the Delhi government decided not to buckle under the 'unjust demands' of auto unions.

The auto-rickshaw drivers will be back on the road Wednesday after their two-day strike.

Thousands of Delhiites struggled to get to their workplaces on time with auto rickshaws keeping off the roads to protest the government's crackdown on drivers operating without permits, licences and pollution control certificates. Commuters were left with no option but to travel in overcrowded buses of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and the private Bluelines.

'It generally takes me half hour to reach my office, but today it took me nearly two hours. I got late as I had to take an overloaded bus that crawled the whole way,' said 26-year-old marketing executive Mudit Mittal.

Sangeeta Singh, an IT professional, had a similar tale of woe. 'I left half-an-hour early for my office in Nehru Place as I wanted to take a bus due to the strike. But the buses were all very crowded.'

'I did not get any auto for an hour in the morning, and it was impossible to travel in the overcrowded buses. I finally took a lift from a stranger to reach my office. Many of my friends spent hundreds of rupees on taxies,' said Santosh Kumar.

The strike called under the banner of Bharatiya Tipahiya Chalak Sangh (BTCS) Monday was joined by over 18 auto-rickshaw drivers' associations. In many parts of the capital, members of the auto drivers association were seen forcing some autos that had decided to go against the strike to join in.

The auto-rickshaw association decided to continue the strike Tuesday after their talks with the Delhi government failed Monday.

'Despite our strike, the government has not listened to our problem and we have called a meeting of auto-rickshaw associations to discuss the issue.