The working committee of Vikram Jan Kalyan Sangharsh Samiti has nominated Congress leader and Vice Chairman of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), Vishal Dobhal as its patron.
Informing media persons about the decision here on Sunday, the President of Samiti Satish Sharma said that this decision would be beneficial for the poor Vikram operators.
He said that Vikram operators are agitated over the increased police action on them ever since the new Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) took over the reins of Dehradun district.
Sharma informed that the poor Vikram drivers are being specially targeted by the police and a delegation of the association headed by newly appointed patron Dobhal would meet SSP on Monday to lodge their protest against unwarranted police action.
The President of the association said that the transport department has put the issue of conversion of contract carriage permits of Vikrams to Stage carriage in cold store. Sharma claimed that all formalities for conversion are over now and only the final approval is pending.
The Vikrams operating in the State capital are provided the permits of contract carriage under which they are not entitled to pick retail passengers. The Vikrams operators demand for conversion to their permits to stage carriage is an old one. Their demand however is being opposed tooth and nail by the city bus association.
Sharma said that the transport department has given permission of 7+ 1 (7 passengers and one driver) to almost half of the Vikrams of the city as a precursor of this conversion but now due to the reasons best known to it the department has gone suddenly slow on it.
He said that the decision of the transport department to grant permits to E rickshaws in the city is deplorable as it would amount to congestion of already crowded roads.