Witnessing a number of complaints from the commuters and auto-rickshaw drivers, the Delhi Government has decided to scrap the practice of road try test after re-calibration of auto fare meters. Till now, the auto-rickshaw drivers had to travel far to the Najafgarh area for road try test, once they updated the new auto-fare meters.
The Government has further issued an advisory to the manufacturers, repairers and dealers of auto rickshaw fare meters for not charging more than Rs 400/- per meter plus applicable Goods and Sales Tax (GST) for undertaking software up-gradation post revision of auto fares.
“Following the orders of the Chief Minister, the department held meetings with the concerned officials, the department was directed to re-examine the proposal in totality. Thus, the department after examining the legal provisions of ‘Legal Metrology Act’ and in consultation with Department of Consumers Affairs, Government of India, decided to discontinue road try test which was proving to be inconvenient to Auto Rickshaw drivers. The Legal Metrology Department shall henceforth issue verification certificate after carrying out Simulated Road Test Method in the laboratory of the Department itself,” said Imran Hussain on Wednesday.
The Delhi Government had recently revised the auto fares. This has necessitated re-calibration of auto fare meters after upgradation of their software. Auto Rickshaw drivers were also complaining about charging of exorbitant prices by manufacturers, repairers and realers of auto rickshaw fare meters for upgradation of software, said the official.
The auto rickshaw drivers were demanding that road try test at the far away location at Najafgarh was inconvenient to them and it was also causing loss of a day’s earning. They were requesting for making the re-calibration process smooth and convenient and for conducting at central location. Following which, the government has now decided to conduct the simulated road test at the Taxi Meter Unit of Legal Metrology Department located at Wazirpur Industrial Area to save time and cost.
Presently the autos/taxis have a device fitted with vehicle called “transducers” which convert the distance to be measured into pulses or digital data which are passed to the auto/taxi meter to calculate and indicate the fare,” said an official.