Pimpri Chinchwad Police to take action against 30,000 auto rickshaws which are plying without valid registration
Akash Dhanurkar
Pimpri Chinchwad Police has taken a note of the demand raised by ‘Auto Rickshaw Owner and Passenger Association’. The association had questioned the stance of Pimpri Chinchwad RTO and the Traffic Police department on why there is no action against the auto rickshaws which are unfit for commuting, yet are see moving on the road.
According to the information obtained from Baba Kamble, the head of ‘Auto Rickshaw Owner and Passenger Association’, the actual age of an auto rickshaw since the date of purchase is 20 years, but majority of auto rickshaws in the city are beyond 35 years old, which is dangerous for the city’s transport system and a threat to the lives of passengers. Kamble also brought to the notice of Pune Pulse that the auto rickshaws are modified and polished once they exceed the age of 20 years to make them look new and well maintained, which again violates the rules and laws of Regional Transport Authority. The owner of the mentioned auto rickshaws are not responsible enough to drive safely – in fact, most of them do not even carry license or permit. Because of such drivers, the honest and authorised drivers suffer.
“We demand strict action against the culprits. Why is the RTO silent on this issue. The Police, too, do not stop such auto rickshaws and enquire the age of the rickshaw. They even have a machine through which they can obtain entire details about the any vehicle.”
Pune Pulse raised the issue with Assistant Commissioner of Police Shrikant Disale, he said, “Soon, with the help of environmental NGO’s, we are going to conduct an uninformed drive against the unauthorised rickshaw drivers and auto rickshaws exceeding the age of 20 years. We may also take an action against the increasing complaints of rash driving by authorised and unauthorised rickshaw drivers.”
