Ban on diesel autorickshaws: UT relents, extends deadline to April 1

The decision came after the day-long strike of diesel autorickshaw drivers in the Tricity.

An official statement said that Bharat Stage II diesel autorickshaws, registered in Panchkula and Mohali, will be allowed to ply in Chandigarh till December 31, with restrictions over the weekend.

Diesel autorickshaws with odd registration numbers will be allowed to operate on Saturday while those with even registration numbers will be permitted on Sunday.

With effect from January 1, 2015, diesel autorickshaws with odd registration numbers will be permitted on odd dates, and those with even registration numbers on even dates. This arrangement will continue up to March 31.

From April 1, only LPG autorickshaws will be allowed to ply in the city.

Arrangements will be made to allow LPG autorickshaws registered in Chandigarh to operate in the Tricity under the inter-state agreement between the transport authorities of Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana.

Also, finance for purchasing LPG autorickshaws at 11 per cent interest will be arranged from Punjab National Bank after November 1. A subsidy of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 will be credited to the loan account of the owner one year after the registration of the vehicle.

The administration has asked the traffic police and the State Transport Authority to enforce the safety norms and deal with violations in accordance with the Motor Vehicles Act.

The environmental authorities have been asked to assess the impact of the decision over the next two months and submit a report to the Transport Department in January.

Commuters harassed as auto drivers go on strike

Commuters had to face harassment as the Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula Auto-Rickshaw Joint Action Committee went on strike in protest against the UT Transport Department’s decision to ban the entry of diesel autos in the city from November 1.

Later in the evening, the administration deferred the proposed ban to April 1 next year.

Defending their action, Joint Action Committee chairman Kamal Kant Dwivedi said that the UT Administration was depriving the autorickshaw drivers of their livelihood.

The Tricity has about 10,000 diesel autorickshaws, most of which come from Mohali and Panchkula. In addition, there are 2,700 LPG autorickshaws. The administration wants diesel autorickshaws to switch to a cleaner fuel like LPG in compliance with a Supreme Court order.

But autorickshaw drivers said the conversion kits were expensive. Besides, there were other polluting vehicles, like CTU buses, but the administration was targeting them.

The strike had the maximum impact in Mohali and Panchkula. In Chandigarh, there was some effect in southern sectors, but autorickshaws were seen ferrying passengers at the railway station, airport and the two ISBTs.

In Panchkula, autorickshaws remained off roads. Around 50 autos were seen parked at the Sector 5 Mela ground. However, the bus service was unaffected, although the action committee had threatened to disrupt it.

On the road leading from the Housing Board crossing to Sector 7 of Panchkula, scuffles broke out when the action committee members forcibly stopped autorickshaws from Chandigarh.

The action committee members stopped some buses near Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Phase 8 in Mohali, but let these off when officials from Chandigarh arrived.