Other cities would also get 25% more autos on their roads compared to the present numbers. An announcement in this regard was made by Shiv Sena leader and transport minister Diwakar Raote in Mumbai.
After almost 18 years of restriction, the state government has decided to issue one lakh new auto rickshaw licences in the Mumbai Metro Region so as to improve the cramped public commuting system and generate jobs for youths.
However, there is a rider. The person seeking license must know Marathi. This move has the potential to stir up a hornet's nest. There are thousands of migrants in MMR region from north Indian states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh who make a living by driving taxis and auto-rickshaws.
Other cities would also get 25% more autos on their roads compared to the present numbers. An announcement in this regard was made by Shiv Sena leader and transport minister Diwakar Raote in Mumbai.
"Considering the increase in population and huge pressure on the public transport system, the government has decided to issue one lakh new auto-rickshaw licences in the MMR region from November 1. The licence would be given to those who speak Marathi," Raote said adding that the move will also create job opportunities for people.
At present, there are approximately 2 lakh authorised autos plying in the metro area.
The issuance of permits to autos and taxis in the state had been restricted through a GR on November 26, 1997. There was a huge demand to lift the freeze. The 17-year-old GR was reviewed recently in order to meet the demand and supply gap due to the changed situation.
The government has also decided to regularise over 1.4 lakh autos whose licences were cancelled or suspended due to various reasons after collecting "one-time fine" of Rs20,000 in Mumbai and Rs15,000 in other cities, Raote said.
Most of these autos are still plying on roads illegally, admitted Raote. He said, "However, we took the call to regularise them with the sole objective to save the self-employment opportunities for these many people. Those who will deposit the money along with other necessary documents October 1 to 31 would get their licence renewed."
Each rickshaw runs almost 180km daily — most in the form of short trips of 10-15km — leading to huge congestion on the roads which will now go up by 50% with their numbers going up from 2 lakh to 3 lakh.
Besides, on average, the city adds almost 96,000 vehicles to its 1900-km road map every year.
The state transport department figures say between 2002 and 2012, the number of vehicles registered with the city's three RTOs went up from 10,69,499 to 20,35,051 in 2012 — a rise of 90.28%.
Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said: "We condemn such discrimination. The announcement aims to secure the Marathi vote bank ahead of BMC polls. The MMR has a cosmopolitan composition where a a sizeable number don't speak Marathi. Hence, there is no rationale behind this clause except the cheap vote-bank politics at the cost of livelihood of poor. We have issued 32,000 auto licences in Mumbai through a transparent online process. This government would adopt all corrupt means to allot the licences." State Samajwadi Party chief Abu Azmi said: "I strongly opposed the move which mandates that only Marathi-speaking people can drive an auto in the MMR region where residents speak several languages. Besides, a lot of tourists also throng the city who converse in their own language and auto and taxi-drivers manage to deal with them."
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