The Pioneer 25.11.2010
Put ‘halt & go’ signs at auto stands, HC directs civic bodiesStaff Reporter | New Delhi
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed civic agencies to install proper signs for auto stands in the city. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Manmohan asked the MCD, NDMC, DDA, Delhi Cantonment and Public Works Department (PWD) to put up ‘Halt and Go’ signs at earmarked auto stands.
Appearing for Traffic Police, counsel Jyoti Singh said over 400 places have been earmarked for autorickshaws to halt and go and making them aware of the locations was the responsibility of the civic agencies. She submitted a status report which contained details of the measures taken by police to educate autorickshaw drivers about the “halt and go” locations and to ensure that they are polite and courteous to passengers.
The auto stand locations have been uploaded onto the Delhi Traffic Police website. Awareness camps for TSR drivers have been organised at Traffic Training Parks at ISBTs at Anand Vihar, Kashmere Gate and Sarai Kale Khan. Drivers at New Delhi, Old Delhi, Nizamuddin, and Sarai Rohilla railway stations also attended the training camps. According to the status report, 1472 TSR drivers have attended the workshops this year.
The Traffic Police also requested the petitioner NGO to inform auto-rickshaw drivers of the sites identified for Halt and go. The NGO was also asked to sensitise the drivers to provide good service to passengers and stop overcharging commuters.
The court also directed the city’s transport department and the traffic police to keep issuing badges to drivers for their easy identification. The transport department told the bench that licences have been issued to 29,391 auto drivers and badges were also issued to 16,438 persons. The court’s direction came on a public interest lawsuit (PIL) seeking a direction to the NCT government to issue licences to auto drivers after their proper verification.
The PIL is also seeking the court’s direction to the police against harassing honest auto drivers running their business with licences issued by states other than Delhi.
