In a joint operation, the city traffic police and transport department officials conducted a drive on share autorickshaws in the city and seized 60 vehicles for various violations under the Motor Vehicles Act.
Following complaints over the last one week that many drivers indulged in carrying excess number of passengers and resorted to over speed in different parts of the city, Collector K Veera Raghava Rao ordered a random check. On Friday, when RTOs from Madurai Central, North and South along with police officers carried a check, many autorickshaw drivers were found to have no valid licence. The vehicles had more seating capacity than the permissible limits as the drivers had added extra seats.
After registering cases, the vehicles were seized. Further investigation is on.
Meanwhile, transport department officials said that share autorickshaw drivers had to be sensitised to dangers of stopping vehicles suddenly to pick up or drop passengers. They were told that driving vehicles in a rash manner even during non-peak hours in suburbs would cause panic among other road users. Mere punishment might not solve the issue, they added.
