In a drive last year, RTO cancelled licences of auto drivers over fare refusal, flouting other traffic norms
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The Shiv Sena's demand for pardoning auto-rickshaw drivers refusing to ply has left citizens angry. The Sena's transport union, Maharashtra Rickshaw Chalak Sena, has sought restoration of rickshaw permits scrapped earlier by the RTO for refusal to ply. Citizen activists have called the move "unconstitutional" and "illegal". In a drive last year, the RTO had cancelled licences of about 705 drivers for refusal to ply and flouting other traffic norms.
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"A delegation of our union will be meeting Shiv Sena's Minister of Transport Anil Parab seeking restoration of permits cancelled for refusal to ply. We will hand over a memorandum to the minister for this," Ravindra Chavan, an office-bearer of the Sena union said.
In posters put up across suburbs, all auto-rickshaw drivers affiliated to the Shiv Sena union and those who have lost their permits and badges have been told to report to the Andheri trade union office on March 14 with documents. General secretary of Maharashtra Rickshaw Chalak Sena Rajendra Desai will be addressing a gathering of the rickshaw drivers.
Desai said the consumer forum and commuter bodies should also think of rickshaw drivers. "It is unfair to directly revoke their licences as they too have families dependent on them. Instead, the RTO should start a grading system where the driver will be penalised with a fine in the first instance and severe action only if he is a repeat offender," Desai told mid-day.
Transport activist Ajit Shenoy of Mumbai Mobility Forum, however, said, "This is contempt of the law. This will lead to increased arrogance and breaking of rules by the drivers."
Mumbai Transport Forum activist Jitendra Gupta said it will encourage rickshaw drivers' high-handedness. "This action of the Shiv Sena is against the Preamble which says the government should be for people. The public faces the rickshaw drivers' arrogance. If the government supports it, it will only make matters worse," he said.
In a drive last year, over 5,000 auto drivers were caught flouting various regulations. Owing to this, licences of many drivers were seized, 705 of them were cancelled and 171 autos confiscated, majorly for offences like refusal to ply, driving without a badge and ferrying more than three passengers.
While the transport department officials said it would be inappropriate to say anything on such political developments, Transport Minister Anil Parab remained unavailable for comment.
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