Udupi, 29 April 2012: About 3,300 auto rickshaws which were operating illegally have been legalized and given the permission to run in the city. With this permission, including the 700 auto rickshaws which already had the permission, now the total auto rickshaws in Udupi city raised to 4,000. The rickshaw Divers – Owners Association Hon President Udupi MLA K. Raghupathi Bhat gave this information in a press conference on Friday.
Since the last 15 years, issuing of permission for the new auto rickshaws was stopped. But still plenty of autos were running without the permission of city permission. But now the Transport Authority has given permission to operate in municipal area for all the auto rickshaws registered before 31st January 2012, he said.
The auto rickshaws which do not have the city permission, if they run illegally were not covered under the insurance. Besides for violation of the rule Police were imposing Rs. 5,000 penalty if caught. For this reason the auto rickshaw association committee met Transport Minister R. Ashok and submitted petition and hence this permission is given.
This permission will be applicable, along with Udupi Municipal area and also Karkala and Kundapura Municipal areas. But the auto rickshaws which were registered after 31 January 2012 cannot enter the city area, as per the instruction of the Deputy Commissioner, said the MLA. In the press conference Sharada Rickshaw Union Hon President B. Sudhakara Shetty, Manipal Rickshaw Driver – Owners Association Hon President Mahesh Takur, Manipal President Suresh Amin, Sharada Rickshaw Union President Nityananda were present.