Transport Dept says that Capital has abysmally low ratio of autos per thousand people compared to Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai
The Delhi Government has sought Supreme Court’s nod to allow 1.5 lakh more auto-rickshaws on Delhi roads. While a fleet of one lakh autos are presently running on the Capital’s streets, the Delhi Transport Department wants to hike it to 2.5 lakh to meet the commuting needs of the growing population in the city.
The Transport Department has claimed that Delhi has an abysmally low ratio of autos per thousand people in the city. As against the big cities of Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai which have an average of 15 autos per thousand population, Delhi has a low ratio of six per thousand population as per 2011 Census.
On December 16, 1997, the apex court had placed a cap on future registration of autos in the Capital. This became necessary as TSRs (two-seater rickshaws) were found to be a major pollutant. In 1997, the permitted auto strength stood at 55,000, which was increased to one lakh on November 11, 2011 on the order of the court.
Seeking another modification to the 1997 order, the Delhi Government in its application has said, “Since 1997, the population of Delhi has increased by more than 100 per cent but the auto-rickshaw count has increased by only 20 per cent…This increase in population mismatched the available transport vehicle, including the TSR upon which a cap was imposed by this court.”
According to 2011 Census figures, Delhi with 1.63 crore population has only one lakh autos compared to Mumbai (2.46 lakh autos) and Karnataka (1.51 lakh autos) with population of 1.84 crore and 84.99 lakh respectively. “Except Delhi in no other city there is a cap on issuance of permit for auto rickshaws,” the application said.
If the court agrees to allow the application, there will be 20 autos per thousand population of Delhi. As the entire city’s auto fleet operates on CNG, the Government does not apprehend any increase in pollution level if more autos ply on Delhi’s streets. The Government has also argued that when a viable and cheap option is offered, citizens will be dissuaded to use their private vehicles.
The Government agreed that there exists black market in sale/purchase of TSRs due to which permits land into the hands of unscrupulous elements who charge excess fare and resort to misbehaving and use of defective meters, causing hassles to commuters, besides suffering the embarrassment. Hiking auto strength will indirectly reduce bargaining power of auto unions who “intimidate” the Government by threatening to strike.
To end the auto mafia, the Government is taking steps to ensure a permit holder has a valid driving licence, a public service badge issued after police verification, and restriction to drive the auto without sub-letting to anyone.