7,000 more autos will invade city roads soon

7,000 more autos will invade city roads soon
Anil Kumar M | TNN

Bangalore: Some 73,000 autorickshaws ply on Bangalore’s congested roads. Add unauthorised ones to the list. Now, the government is bent on giving permits to 7,000 more, which will ensure further clogging of roads and an increase in pollution levels.
The transport department recently decided to issue permits to the new vehicles in the next couple of months. Adding to the blow, the department is contemplating regularizing nearly 10,000 autorickshaws running without permits.
As Bangalore is heavily autorickshawpopulated, the government in 2006 had stopped issuing permits. There was a caveat, though: only those availing of loans from social welfare development corporations like Dr B R Ambedkar corporation and minority development corporation were allowed. But the same was challenged in the Karnataka High Court, which struck down the ‘preferential rule’.
The proposal to sanction permits comes with political strings. Anticipating BBMP polls, transport minister R Ashok is said to have directed the department to facilitate the release of rickshaws for the applicants as soon as possible. They will come in handy for poll campaign.
When contacted, Ashok said the move was not due to BBMP elections, but to cater to the demand of the economically poorer sections of the society. The transport secretariat has prepared the guidelines and is expected to issue an order soon. The Bangalore Urban DC, also the regional transport authority (RTA) chairman, has been empowered to issue permits for new autorickshaws. The permits will be given on a first-come-first-serve basis.
GUIDELINES
Ever since government stopped issuing general permits for new autorickshaws in 2006, thousands of applications pending
Guidelines include having company-fitted electronic meters, applicant should have proper residential address
Earlier, rule barred a person from transferring his permit to another. Now, licencee can transfer permit