The notification directs women autorickshaw permit holders to paint their vehicles in salmon orange colour and mandates that they be driven only by women
The Mumbai Rickshawmens Union and five of its women members have approached the Bombay High Court challenging a notification issued by the state transport department. The notification directs women autorickshaw permit holders to paint their vehicles in salmon orange colour and mandates that they be driven only by women.
The union claims that out of the 165 permits issued, five have been allotted to women members of the association. However, the condition imposed that the vehicle should be of a certain colour and be driven by women only would prove detrimental to the entire cause, they contend.
The plea, which will come up for hearing in due course, states that section 74(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act enumerates the condition which can be attached to the permit granted under Section 74 of the said Act. That section 84 of the said Act provides for ‘General condition attaching to all permits’.
The petitioners have submitted that Rule 135 of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules deals with the aspect of painting of motor cabs, and at the time of grant of LOI for the permits to the respective petitioners the requirement was to paint the hood of the motor cab in cream yellow and the rest of the body in black.
Although the petitioners have procured the autorickshaws after being issued permits, the authorities have refused to register the vehicles as they are not painted as per the ‘amended’ colour scheme. Furthermore, they have received a notice from the RTO to change the colour of the vehicles to ‘salmon orange (Abohi)’.
The plea also states that the petitioners have to spend nearly Rs 15,000-20,000 for changing the colour, which is not affordable for them.
It adds that there is no purpose to be achieved by changing the colour, and it will only make it apparent that a particular riskshaw is being driven by a woman driver, and it can attract unnecessary attention from men.
MORE TO KNOW
- An autorickshaw is driven in two shifts in order to repay the loan amount and fetch a decent earning at the end of the month.
- If the condition mandating that it be driven by women drivers is implemented, such an autorickshaw would be idle for most of the time.
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