New Delhi:
In a boon to thousands of harried passengers in the national capital, the Supreme Court today cleared the decks for plying of one lakh new auto-rickshaws that could bring down the constant complaints of overcharging and misbehaviour by their drivers.
A special forest bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and C K Prasad gave the signal on an application moved by the Delhi Transport Authority as early as 2002 for lifting the freeze imposed by the Supreme Court in its earlier direction of December 16, 1997.
According to senior counsel and amicus curiae P S Narasimha and Delhi government counsel Wasim Ahmed Quadri, with today's direction, the administration can now grant permission for plying of one lakh new autos in the capital.
In 1997, the court had directed that there shall be no fresh registration of auto-rickshaws, also known as three-wheeler scooter rickshaws (TSRs), as they were running on two or four stroke petrol engines contributing to the severe pollution in Delhi. It had, however, permitted the existing autos to be replaced by new ones.
Subsequently, the autos were converted into single-fuel CNG-propelled vehicles, but the restriction on the fresh registration resulted in malpractices by the auto-owners and drivers.
In its application, the transport department had sought increase in the number of autos on the ground that they play a "very important" role as intermediate public transport in the country.
"It is further submitted that the limitation on induction of fresh auto-rickshaws for public transportation has increased the incidents of misbehaviour, overcharging and refusal to carry passengers. Presently, the auto-rickshaws are operating in a seller's market. Increasing the number of auto-rickshaws will help us to control the incidence of misbehaviour and this will be in the interest of commuters.
"Now, in view of the fact that most of the existing TSRs are on CNG mode, there is no reason to restrict the fresh registration of TSRs," the department had said.