• Text Size
• Print
• Email

  From:
  

  To:
  

  Hey! Check out this news page: https://www.thebackgroundinvestigator.com/Articles/Mumbai--Drivers-With-Criminal-Records-Cannot-Apply-For-Auto-Permit/1418/index.php.

  SendCancel

International News

Mumbai- Drivers With Criminal Records Cannot Apply For Auto Permit

October 30, 2013 posted by Steve Brownstein

Those persons against whom criminal cases have been lodged in the past year will be barred from applying for the new 32,000 autorickshaw permits. The government is also considering keeping a lock-in period of three to ten years so that drivers will not be able to transfer the new permits. The lock-in period will ensure that the permits cannot be sold in black market to unscrupulous drivers.

More than one lakh (1 lakh = 100,000) applications are expected for the 32,000 permits and authorities want to ensure that those with criminal record do not get into the autorickshaw trade. Commuter activists have urged citizens, especially women, to come forward and lodge complaints against errant drivers, so that they cannot apply for the new permits.

"Commuters can lodge a case of cheating or criminal intimidation against errant drivers. If a police case is registered, the driver will be barred from applying for a new permit, at least for a year. This will be a major deterrent for errant drivers," said a rights activist, requesting anonymity.

"There are numerous complaints of drivers behaving rudely, fleecing passengers and harassing women. There are also cartels of drivers that operate outside some railway stations. It is good if the government can keep a check on drivers with a criminal past," said Shirish Deshpande of Mumbai Grahak Panchayat.

A woman commuter who was recently harassed by an auto driver recalled, "When I questioned him on why the fare was so high and if there was a problem with the meter, he said he knew where I stayed and would not spare me if I did not pay up. It was so intimidating and scary."

A Powai resident, Hetal Shah, said that she had in the past taken an auto driver to the police station to complain about a faulty meter. "Cops often discourage you from lodging a complaint and prefer to settle the matter with the driver."

"It has been seen in the past that auto drivers are involved in serious offences like robberies and rapes. It is good that the government will keep a check on the criminal elements," said G R Vora, an activist. Auto unions, however, said that drivers who did not own allegiance to any union were part of the mafia and were notorious. "Citizens should not drag every driver to the police station unless the case is serious. The rule should not be misused," said an union leader. Draw to allot new auto permits.

The 32,000 new auto permits will be allotted through lottery system, said additional transport commissioner Satish Sahasrabudhe. He denied media reports that there will be blackmarketing of permits. "We will check background of applicants and only genuine and needy drivers will be given permits. It will be ensured that the ones who get the permit ply the autos themselves and do not sell it off," he said. The government is also in the process of releasing 10,000 new taxi permits, said a source.

While 32,000 new autorickshaws will hit Mumbai roads soon, it will not be easy to get a permit. The latest permit rules carry an unique clause in the interest of commuters -- it bars applicants/drivers with any record in crime for a year before permit can be given.

The government is also considering keeping a lock-in period of three to ten years so that none of the new permits are transferable (cannot be sold in black market to unscrupulous drivers).