Govt extends auto permit deadline
The Delhi government on Monday gave relief to nearly 10,500 autorickshaws, who faced cancellation of their permits as they had not switched to smart card-based permits by extending the deadline by 45 days.
While the autorickshaw unions had threatened to go on strike, Delhi transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said the new extension was last and final. He also said that the smart card permits would be issued even if the original owners of the vehicles surface. The unions had been claiming that the transport department was not issuing permits in case the driver had bought the vehicle from somebody else.
There are about 10,500 autos who have to get smart cards. We will be issuing notice to all of them by tomorrow (Tuesday) and they can start applying the day after,” Delhi transport commissioner R.K. Verma told reporters.
The government had in November last year asked the autorickshaw drivers to apply for smart card-based permits in order to keep a record of the number of three-wheelers in the city.
However, problems arose when many owners claimed they had bought their vehicles from people who no longer resided in the city. In such cases, the government refused to issue them smart cards as the vehicle was registered in some one else’s name.
“The autorickshaw drivers can bring their purchase letter and apply for the smart cards,” Mr Verma added.
Meanwhile, the auto drivers union has expressed relief at the development. “Strike would have caused trouble to people as well as us. We are happy with this decision and will start applying for permit soon,” said Suresh Sharma, president of the Rashtravadi Janata Tipahiya Chalak Mahasangh.
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