Police crackdown on fish carts welcomed

These vehicles, operated in congested areas, are seen as a threat to the other road users

September 21, 2014 10:37 am | Updated 10:37 am IST - TIRUCHI:

Traffic police confiscating the fish carts in Tiruchi. Photo: B. Velankanni Raj

Traffic police confiscating the fish carts in Tiruchi. Photo: B. Velankanni Raj

In a swift operation against fish carts, the city police seized about 30 vehicles mainly in and around Gandhi Market on Friday.

The police not only dismantled the motors but also imposed a fine on each operator. Fish carts are unauthorised vehicles and are mostly found near the business houses dealing with construction material such as cement bags, bricks, cargo units besides wholesale dealers in grocery and vegetables at Gandhi Market.

The police action has been widely welcomed by a cross-section of people, including officials attached to the Transport Department, and members of medical fraternity.

Lack of safety to road users has been the major problem caused by the fish carts. “Given the speed with which the fish carts are operated, they pose a threat to safety of road users,” says R. Senthil, an autorickshaw driver, citing a few instances of persons who were seriously injured.

The former Deputy Commissioner of Transport Department P.V. Viswanathan, explaining the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, said that vehicles falling well below 25 cc capacity would not fall under the ambit of the Act. Similar was vehicles used within a factory premises. Fish carts with engines of higher capacity violated the provisions of the Act, he said. Some regulation such as permit, licence or fitness certificate was needed.

K. Maharaja, a fish cart riders, says he has been eking out his livelihood using the cart he had inherited from his father about a decade ago. Maharaja says he avoids carrying rods and other protruding material that pose a risk to the road users. He earns between Rs. 400 and Rs. 600 a day, although this was not assured always.

He suggested that the district administration convene a meeting with fish cart riders and police officials to resolve the issue as any recurring action by police would mean a severe blow to their livelihood.

Sandhiyagu, another push cart rider, says those who had escaped the police crackdown on Friday, were worried about being caught later.

The city accounts for a large number of fish carts without engines.

S. Parthasarathy (62) of Melapudur area, who is against this unauthorised use of engine in fish carts, lauded the police action. He has been using hand cart without an engine for the past 22 years. He was not involved in any road accident so far as he could instantly control the speed and direction of the vehicle. “It is not possible in the case of fish carts,” he says. He skips the engine for the simple reason it avoids various problems, particularly when the engine develops a snag or the tyre getting punctured”.

An official attached to the Transport Department says the design of the vehicle involved just Rs.10,000 in contrast to a few lakh rupees needed for other vehicles.

Shailesh Kumar Yadav, Commissioner of Police, said that 30 vehicles were seized in Gandhi Market, K.K. Nagar, and Cantonment areas on Friday.

A majority of vehicles seized were in Gandhi Market area. The crackdown followed frequent complaints from various quarters in the city.

Cases were registered under Sec 75 of Madras City Police Act, (causing nuisance), as the Motor Vehicle Act would not apply to the offence.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.