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Maharashtra autos drivers may not get to refuel vehicles after permit suspended

Hindustan Times, Mumbai | By, Mumbai
Mar 26, 2019 04:38 PM IST

The Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Department (MMVD) is mulling this step after flying squads of RTOs, in an ongoing drive to curb the menace of rogue drivers, caught 1,296 autorickshaw drivers without a badge, which is mandatory for driving public service vehicles.

Autorickshaw owners may not be able to fill fuel in their vehicles once the Regional Transport Office (RTO) suspends their permit for letting drivers ply their vehicles without a badge or valid driving licence.

The Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Department (MMVD) is mulling this step after flying squads of RTOs, in an ongoing drive to curb the menace of rogue drivers, caught 1,296 autorickshaw drivers without a badge, which is mandatory for driving public service vehicles.

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An MMVD official said cutting the fuel supply of autorickshaws during the suspension period, which lasts up to three months, will “act as a deterrent” as permit holders will not allow drivers that do not have a valid badge or licence to drive their vehicles.

Presently, once the RTO suspends the permit of an autorickshaw, officials, in absence of any place to detain the vehicle, simply remove the fare metres of the autorickshaws.

“We are exploring the possibility of stopping the fuel supply of the autorickshaws to stop them from plying on the roads during the suspension period,” said Shekhar Channe, transport commissioner of the state.

To make the move successful, the department is considering removal of some crucial component of the compressed natural gas (CNG) kit of the autorickshaws, so fuel cannot be filled in the vehicle.

For this, the RTO has sought opinions from experts and CNG dealers, said an official.

If this option does not work, MMVD has identified, with the help of the suburban collector, four vacant plots that would be used to park the autorickshaws once their permit is suspended.

Starting from this month, the MMVD had started a special drive against autorickshaw drivers in the city’s suburbs after receiving several complaints of overcharging, misbehaviour and ferrying more passengers than the allowed capacity.

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