Rickshaw drivers allege bias in rules enforcement, Gujarat high court asks govt for reply

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Thursday issued notices to the state authorities concerned and sought an affidavit over a petition filed by autorikshaw drivers, alleging discrimination against them when it comes to enforcement of the rules.
The Jagrut Auto Rickshaw Drivers' Union filed a petition alleging that they get discriminatory treatment from the authorities with regard to fixing of fares, use of meter, colour scheme and parking, especially for CNG auto rickshaws.The rules as laid down by the transport department are not enforced for other commercial vehicles such as taxis and buses. The union's advocate, R B Dave, submitted that the government fixed fares for taxis in 2002 but they can still charge anything, and this is not the case with auto rickshaws.
It was also contended that there is no restriction on the carriage capacity of chhakdas in Saurashtra. Even a Gujarat Tourism promotional video featuring film star Amitabh Bachchan shows 10 persons riding a chhakda. This made the chief justice ask the petitioner why it wanted to bring Bachchan into the litigation. The lawyer submitted that it was to highlight that nobody checks the number of passengers in a chhakda in Saurashtra but a CNG auto rickshaw that has to follow all the rules.
After the preliminary hearing, the court asked what the state government's stand is on this issue. It issued notice to the government, the commissioner of transport, the Ahmedabad police commissioner among seven respondents and sought a reply by the second week of January 2023.