To make travelling convenient of women passengers in the city, 18 Green Autos like the Pink Autos started playing in the city from Tuesday but the autos are without permit. Interestingly, the lady drivers chose routes of their choice on the first day of driving which was denoted ‘illegal’ by the Transport department.
“We were unaware about their launch. They started driving without seeking our permission. It is illegal. They are supposed to submit request for Permit to the nearest police station who will forward us the same for approval. A discussion on the illicit action will be held with our officials in the coming 15-20 days. We would then take an action against the green auto drivers,” said Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Secretary Rajesh Kumar Barwar.
Meanwhile, the Green Auto drivers are hoping to apply for Permit. “Our association president Aarti Behera is out of station. We may approach the Transport department for Permit after her return. The date is not fixed,” said Sunita Tigga, a driver of Raj Rani Green Auto Women Drivers Association.
Asked about the route chart, she said, “We were supposed to get a route chart on Monday. Unfortunately, it did not happen and we decided to drive in routes of our choice.”
Notably, Pink Autos, the first women-oriented autos are running on the city streets for over 1.5 years. Initially, the service began from Argora Chowk to Kadru Moore and later attempts were made to extend till the Main Road which was rejected by the Transport department.
“We did not get Permit to run autos in Main Road so our route is restricted within Kadru-Argora. Some of our colleagues are using such autos for reserved purpose from Hatia and Ranchi Railway stations,” said Pink Auto Driver Usha.
Notably, few months back, Rajmani Proprieties which had started the pink autos had a dispute with some of its drivers. These drivers who had purchased the autos left the company and began driving independently. The remaining ones turned over as green auto drivers under the banner of Rajmani Proprieties.