High Court forms committee to prevent plying of illegal vehicles

The committee is comprised of home secretary, director general of police, an additional secretary of the transport department and Commissioners of Kolkata Police and other commissionerates including Howrah, Barrackpore and Bidhannagar. 

The committee has to take necessary steps to check the menace within the next 15 days and also have to submit a report before the Court in this connection.

The division Bench of the Chief Justice of the HC Manjula Chellur and Justice Arijit Banerjee on Friday ordered the committee to hold a meeting as early as possible and to chalk out a necessary plan to curb the problem for which common people are facing inconvenience.

It may be mentioned that there were some cases in the HC related to the problem that people had been facing as many totos, motorised vans and auto-rickshaws are plying illegally mainly in the urban and semi-urban parts of the state.

There had been a long standing problem with the plying of auto-rickshaws mainly in Kolkata. Totos were no being allowed to ply in the city, but sudden increase in the number of the battery operated vehicles in other urban parts including Howrah, Barrackpore and Bidhannagar causing various problems including massive traffic congestion.

Alapan Bandyopadhyay, principal secretary of the transport department, was present in the Court on Friday.

It may be recalled that the HC had directed the transport department to take necessary steps in this connection. Considering certain social issues the transport department is yet to take all necessary steps against the totos. The transport department had sought a time of three months to check the menace as the matter is related to livelihood of many people.