05 August,2016 03:04 PM IST | | Shashank Rao
Thanks to the newly amended Motor Vehicle Act, authorities hope to curb the menace of overloaded auto rickshaws and other traffic violations in a bid to reduce road accidents
Auto rickshaw drivers looking to make a few extra bucks by squeezing in more than three passengers at a time will now have to pay a heavy price for breaking the rules. Drivers will be charged R1,000 for each extra passenger they are caught ferrying thanks to the newly amended Motor Vehicles Act.
The share auto rickshaws outside Bandra station are infamous for cramming as many as double the number of passengers inside. Pic/Satej Shinde
This is part of a larger effort to ensure greater safety on the roads and fewer violations, for which the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016 on August 3. Every year, 5 lakh road accidents are reported in the country, in which 1.5 lakh people lose their lives. The government hopes to reduce the number of accidents by 50% within five years by introducing heavier fines.
Despite the law expressly forbidding more than three passengers in an auto-rickshaw, the practice is common among share autos, especially outside railway stations. There are instances where as many as four passengers are crammed in the back and two more in the front next to the driver.
Such overloading also happens in private buses, especially those plying in villages.
Officials from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) state that this is a big safety issue, particularly during the monsoon, when the roads become slippery and riddled with potholes. This problem of overloading auto rickshaws is rampant outside stations like Bandra, Kurla, Kandivli, Andheri, Ghatkopar, Chembur and Govandi.
In fact, auto rickshaw unions have complained about this to the Transport department, claiming that no action is taken against these illegal rickshaws because the traffic cops and RTO officials are working hand-in-glove with them. So far, officials would fine auto driver about Rs 100 to Rs 200 for this offence, but now that the Centre has amended the Motor Vehicles Act and included a heftier Rs 1,000 fine, RTO officials hope it will deter auto drivers from overloading passengers.
"Rs 100 is not much of a deterrent, but the amendment made will surely curb this practice. I know about this problem of illegally overloading passengers in auto rickshaws, and will surely do something soon to curb this problem," said Transport Commissioner Praveen Gedam.
Shashank Rao, president of Mumbai Autorickshaw and Taxi Men's Union, said, "I will have to see the proposed amendment made by the Centre. It will certainly be a deterrent if fines are increased against these illegal practices, but proper implementation is important."
