The Bombay High Court on Tuesday allowed the fare hike of taxi and autorickshaw tariff in Mumbai on the condition that the meters of the autos and taxis are re-calibrated. All those taxis and autos which re-calibrate their meters will be able to charge new fares in the city from Wednesday.
Basically, the consumer will have to pay only that amount which is reflected in the meter. The base fare rates have increased to Rs 17 for autorickshaw and Rs 21 for taxi.
The State government has submitted that it will finish the process of calibration of meters within 45 days.
The court has also directed the State authorities to take legal action against those taxi and auto drivers found charging revised fare rates without calibrating the meters.
The Maharashtra government had moved an application before the court seeking its approval for increasing the fare by Rs 2. Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, a consumer body, had opposed the fare hike proposal.
But the court on Tuesday refused to interfere in the matter, observing that "matters affecting policy and requiring technical expertise be best left to those qualified for it."
The division bench of Justices Abhay Oka and A S Chandurkar said that no case was made out for grant of stay on the Government Resolution approving fare hike.
The HC cited some Supreme Court judgments in its order, which said that the courts can't interfere with the policy decisions of the government unless they are found to be inconsistent with the Constitution of India or are arbitrary in nature.
Allowing the fare hike, the judges observed: “By no stretch of imagination, the said exercise can be said to be abuse of power."
