Times of India: Thane: Sunday,
January 26, 2014.
More than
40,000 auto rickshaws in the Thane Regional Transport Office (RTO) jurisdiction
are operating without any valid permits in the city, revealed an RTI
information.
An RTI
application by Anil Mahadik, a Thane resident, revealed that there are 76,993
auto rickshaws registered with the Thane RTO out of which just about 36,887 of
them have valid permits to ferry passengers. The which supervises the area of
three municipal corporations including Thane, Mira-Bhayander and Bhiwandi
besides the rural pocket of Jawahar and Mokhada.
Of these
registered autos, according to the response by RTO officials to Mahadik's
query.
"Effectively,
it means that 40,000 auto rickshaws, which are registered as private vehicles
with the Thane RTO are doing brisk business as transport vehicles and with
complete impunity to the law. The RTO officials are either helpless to act
against them or are part to this entire illegal business," a state
transport official said.
He added that
the state government had recently ordered disciplinary inquiry against Nagpur
city RTO Vijay Lande as he failed to check the rising number of illegal auto
rickshaws.
"The
state government had expressed shock at the rise in the number of auto
rickshaws registered for non-transport purpose in Nagpur. The authorities
questioned the Nagpur city RTO about his failure to act against them and framed
a chargesheet against him. The Thane RTO, too, has a big enough problem with
illegal auto rickshaws but action eludes any of the officials here,'' an
observer said.
A section of
the officialdom claimed that the number of illegal auto rickshaws could be more
than 40,000.
"According
to the motor transport law, one transport permit is issued to one auto
rickshaw. However, the permit is transferable after the owner sells of the auto
rickshaw which could be in worn out condition. However, the old auto continues
to be in business in some other town without any permit,'' the official added.
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