Transport dept preparing to start CNG-powered autorickshaws & Vikrams in Doon & Rishikesh
Tuesday, 04 January 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
Following the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the transport department is gearing up to commence CNG-powered autorickshaws and Vikrams in Dehradun and Rishikesh to reduce the level of pollution in the area. The department will hold a meeting of the regional transport authority headed by the Garhwal Commissioner Susheel Kumar to discuss the matter along with some associated issues on January 15. The regional transport officer (administration) Dinesh Pathoi informed that since the Dehradun district has now stations of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), NGT has directed the department to start the operation of CNG-operated autorickshaws and Vikrams which are the most used public transport across the district. He said that the department had also held a meeting regarding the operation of CNG powered public transports in Dehradun city about two years ago but it could not get started due to certain reasons. He said that the senior officials will discuss whether the department should convert old permits of autorickshaws and Vikrams to CNG permits or completely new permits should be issued.
The unions of Vikrams and autorickshaw have welcomed this initiative of the department but they opined that the department should not issue new permits and must convert the old permits considering the traffic situation of the cities. The president of Vikram Jan Kalyan Samiti (VJKS) of Dehradun, Rajendra Kumar said that this initiative will certainly be beneficial for the environment and for locals but issuing new permits might ruin the motive behind it. He said, “There are sufficient autorickshaws and Vikrams in the city and traffic congestion has already become a major everyday problem. Almost all routes have traffic jams throughout the day and if the department will issue new permits, it will unnecessarily increase the number of such vehicles. There are hundreds of e-rickshaws running in the city and the operation of the city buses has declined considerably in the past two years. Most of the people have two-wheeler vehicles so they do not need more public transports.” He stated that a man has already applied for 10 permits for CNG powered Vikrams in the High Court after he was denied the permits for Vikrams operated on diesel by the department as the court had prohibited issuing such permits. “This man has applied for 10 permits which must not be approved as such more applications will just cause an unnecessary increase in the number of Vikrams,” stated Kumar.
