Need to limit rickshaws in new law: Traffic Police

Tuesday, Nov 02, 2010



The Delhi Traffic Police has proposed that the new law being framed to regulate the Capital's cycle-rickshaws should restrict their numbers in the city. Availability of road and parking space in various city zones should be assessed before granting rickshaw licences, the Traffic Police has said.

While the Traffic police and commuters have often complained that rickshaws disrupt traffic pace on arterial roads and cause jams, in February, the High Court had ruled that any curb on licences issued to cycle rickshaw-pullers violates their right to livelihood as guaranteed by the Constitution and could also affect public transport.

The police's latest proposal is part of the draft Delhi Cycle Rickshaw Act they submitted on Saturday to a government task force that will decide the backbone for all of the city's future transport policies. The 12-member task force that Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta heads was set up earlier this year by the same High Court order that ruled that restrictions on cycle-rickshaws were legally untenable.

In their draft legislation, the police have again proposed a "reasonable restriction" on the overall quota, limiting the number of cycle-rickshaws that can be registered in different zones. "These numbers shall be solely determined by a committee consisting of officers nominated by the government, depending on the demand, carrying capacity of colony roads and availability of parking space," the draft reads.

A senior Traffic Police officer said various court orders empower the police to decide which categories of vehicles can ply in the city and where. Existing laws allow only 99,000 cycle-rickshaws to ply in the city. Delhi, meanwhile, has up to eight lakh rickshaws, as per estimates, with just one out of every eight plying legally.

The transport task force now has two different drafts for the proposed cycle-rickshaw legislation that differ diagonally on whether these vehicles should be restricted or not. The other draft, also presented before the task force on Saturday, clearly states the number of cycle-rickshaws cannot be restricted.

Task force member Madhu Kishwar of advocacy group Manushi, who jointly prepared the other draft with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), calls the Traffic Police's proposal unconstitutional. " If we were to remove cycle-rickshaws forcefully, we'll first have to restrict cars that are clearly far more in number," said Kishwar who attended Saturday's meeting where both the drafts were discussed.

"Besides, it is against consumer interest to limit cycle-rickshaws, which are a crucial last-mile transport option in Delhi," she said.

An informal committee with representatives from Manushi, the Traffic Police and the MCD has now been constituted to reach a consensus, Rakesh Mehta said. "We'll have to make sure whatever we decide should be within the court's judgment," Mehta added.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/need-to-limit-rickshaws-in-new-law-traffic-police/705810/0