Announcing a high-intensity enforcement drive till October 5, transport ministry officials stressed that unroadworthy three-wheelers pose a severe threat to commuter safety and must face stringent legal action. Mumbai: In a decisive push against illegal and unsafe public transport, the govt on Friday directed the Motor Vehicle Department to ensure that scrapped and unauthorised auto-rickshaws are completely cleared off the state’s roads.
Mumbai has over 35,000 such autos operating in the suburbs and majority of them are run by unscrupulous drivers who fleece passengers and have ghoda (rigged) meters. All Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across Maharashtra have been tasked with executing the crackdown within their respective jurisdictions and submitting a comprehensive performance review by October 5.
“Commuter safety remains our topmost priority, and there will be zero tolerance for illegal, hazardous vehicles endangering lives on the streets,” Sarnaik said. Mumbai Autorickshawmen’s Union president Shashank Rao : “We have always demanded that scrapped autos should not come back on roads. The directives came during a high-level review meeting convened by transport minister Pratap Sarnaik at the Transport Commissioner’s office, following widespread complaints regarding end-of-life and scrapped rickshaws continuing to ferry passengers illegally. Transport commissioner Rajesh Narvekar, auto-taxi union leader Shashank Rao, and office-bearers representing various driver unions across Maharashtra attended the meeting. He instructed transport authorities to carry out rigorous field inspections targeting vehicles that have already been declared scrap but are operated surreptitiously, those plying on forged or manipulated documents, and vehicles flouting essential roadworthiness norms. Apart from levying heavy penalties under the Motor Vehicles Act , the minister directed enforcement wings to impound offending vehicles and initiate necessary criminal proceedings where fraudulent documentation is detected. The minister also appealed to auto-rickshaw unions and registered drivers to actively cooperate with authorities and uphold passenger security. He noted that unauthorised and unsafe vehicles tarnished the reputation of the entire auto-rickshaw sector, reaffirming that only fully compliant, registered, and roadworthy vehicles will be permitted to serve commuters across the state.