RTO officials in Wadala plan to force them to switch over to e-meters if the mechanical ones are found tampered with.
The regional transport office (RTO) at Wadala is going to work by a new credo: spare the rod, spoil the autorickshaw drivers. After having faced stiff resistance from auto drivers to electronic meters, RTO officials there plan to force them to switch over to e-meters if the mechanical ones are found tampered with.
TP Chavan, deputy regional transport officer from Wadala, said from mid-next week, a special drive will be undertaken in the eastern suburbs of the city to detect rigged mechanical meters. “If any auto driver is caught with a tampered meter, the fitness certificate of the auto will be revoked and the driver will have to make his vehicle go through a fitness test again. And, since the (April1) notification will make it mandatory to install electronic meters in old autos, these measures will, hopefully, speed up the process making all older autos adopt electronic meters,” Chavan said.
The RTO for western suburbs is, however, not taking up any such campaign for want of adequate manpower.
The notification will make it mandatory for all existing autos with mechanical meters to switch over to e-meters in a phased manner. Since they are commercial vehicles, autos undergo yearly fitness tests at the RTOs. It is during these tests that the three-wheelers will have to install e-meters. On any given day, about 170 autos undergo fitness tests at the eastern RTO. This number has shot up in recent times, as drivers are not interested in switching over to e-meters. Some have even gone for advanced fitness tests. Only 15 autos in the city have installed e-meters to date sinc auto unions have asked their members not to go in for new meters on the hope of getting a favourable verdict from the Bombay high court concerning the rollback of e-meters.
Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union leader Thampy Kurien said cancelling the fitness certificates of autos with rigged meters is illegal and if the RTO resorts to such measures, the union will fight it out in the court. “There are certain specific offences or conditions which have to be confirmed before cancelling the fitness certificate of autos. If the drivers are targeted like this, we will fight their case in court. In any case, let the court decide on the ongoing case against e-meters.”
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