Autos running on petrol, diesel to be off Chennai roads

CHENNAI: All petrol and diesel fuelled autorickshaws in the city would be off the roads soon and would be replaced by LPG fitted three-wheelers.

A decision in this regard had been taken by the government as the three-wheelers were causing a lot of pollution, state Local Administration Minister M K Stalin told a gathering organised by the state transport department.

Initially, permits would be given to 10,000 LPG autorickshaws. These would be given to women and unemployed youth, he said.

State Transport Minister K N Nehru said the state government would give Rs 2,000 as subsidy for conversion of petrol and diesel enginees to run on LPG. It would also arrange for loans, he added.

For the first time in Chennai, five air-conditioned buses would ply from Tuesday on important routes. As many as 1,500 new buses would replace old ones in another two months, Nehru said.
   
The minister said of the seven transport corporations in the state which were in red when the DMK came to power, six had started earning profits.

Computers would be used for testing the driving skills of those who applied for driving licenses, he said, adding in the first phase, three regional transport offices would be provided with computers for the purpose.