The ongoing protest by a section of the autorickshaw drivers and trade unions in the city against the service of electric and CNG-fuelled vehicles without any formal permit system is likely to end soon with the decision of the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) to issue a separate permit number for such vehicles. Though no such special permit is legally required for the operation of electric and CNG variants, the new numbering method is considered mainly for administrative convenience.
The argument of a section of the autorickshaw drivers was that services without permits would derail the conventional system followed by over 4,000 vehicles in Kozhikode city. MVD officials said the new city service numbers with unique colour codes would be issued to electric and CNG autorickshaws after getting the final clearance from the Regional Transport Authority (RTA). At the same time, there won’t be any technical issues in operating such registered vehicles in the city.
“We hope to get clearance for the proposal from the RTA board in two weeks. For electric autorickshaws, the proposal is to display the city service permit number in pink and white background. Yellow and white shade will be considered for displaying the number of CNG-fuelled autorickshaws,” said Regional Transport Officer M.P. Subhash Babu. He also said that a meeting of all major trade unions in the sector would be convened soon to address their concerns and explain the department’s plan for the promotion of less-polluting vehicles.
Convention
Meanwhile, the leaders of a joint action council of autorickshaw drivers said they would hold a district-level convention in the city on December 14, urging MVD officials to stop the service of all electric autorickshaws till they get the service permit. They claimed that it was to ensure equal justice for all drivers operating in the sector.
A coordinator of the action council alleged that the MVD had no concrete idea on how to implement the proposed system. “We are not against the service of eco-friendly vehicles, but they should be brought under a proper controlling mechanism without derailing the existing permit system,” he said.
