Union leader Sharad Rao on Monday claimed that unauthorised autorickshaw drivers are fleecing passengers and demanded installation of vehicle identification card (VIC) in every autorickshaw.
“The VIC will have a barcode that will contain details of the permit holder. The VIC should be fitted permanently near the meter of the autorickshaw. When the driver goes to the pump for filling CNG, a sensor will flash the details of the permit holder. CNG should be filled only if the driver is found to be a bonafide permit holder,” Mr Rao demanded.
According to Mr Rao, while there are 1.02 lakh permits issued by the RTO, statistics reveal that 1.40 lakh autorickshaws are filled daily. “This shows that there are around 40,000 illegal autorickshaws plying in the city,” Mr Rao said.
The union leader also criticised the Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP) that has filed a public interest litigation in the high court, questioning the decision on formation of one man PMA Hakim committee to decide the fare formula. “The committee had taken into consideration the views of MGP and the other consumer bodies before recommending a hike. Hakim committee was formed keeping in mind its expertise and hence, we will tell the court that there is no need of a new committee,” Mr Rao said.
Mr Rao has appealed for setting up camps on the open grounds near Wadala and Andheri RTOs for autorickshaw drivers to get their meters recalibrated. With the change in fare structure, recalibration is necessary, as 1.5 km has been adopted as the minimum distance instead of the earlier 1.6 km.
“The meter companies that have been selected by the government should come under one roof for the benefit of autorickshaw drivers,” said Mr Rao.