Darjeeling: Taxi owners’ associations from Darjeeling and Kalimpong have jointly written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking her intervention to wave off the rule of ‘alteration for roof top carrier’ for Toyota Innova vehicles and in future for other vehicles like Tata Sumos and other vehicles plying as taxis. The letters stated that some unwarranted rules by the Motor Vehicles (MV) department have been disrupting livelihoods and increasing financial burdens of many whose source of income is by running taxi services.
The letter, dated July 14, and signed by representatives of multiple taxi associations, highlights a series of directives, including mandatory sticker placements, installation of Speed Limit Devices (SLD) and Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTD), and hefty penalties for roof carriers on vehicles like Toyota Innovas. They also point out the high cost of installing devices such as SLDs and VLTDs, some of which were installed after borrowing money or mortgaging assets, only to become obsolete.
“Toyota Innovas, which are commonly used for passenger transport in the hills, cannot accommodate six passengers and their luggage without a roof carrier as there is no designated boot space,” stated Pradeep Lama while talking to mediapersons on behalf of the associations. In the letter the associations emphasised that ‘roof top carriers are a necessity and not modified alteration of vehicles as defined by MV rules’. The signatories include leaders from the Himalayan Driver’s Owners Welfare Association, Chalak Mahasangh Kalimpong and United Taxi Syndicate Welfare Association Darjeeling.
The authorities have been allowing private vehicles (white number plate) in the State to carry school children and for airport drops from city hotels, at times violating seating capacity, stated the letter.
Additionally, the taxi owners have raised concerns over traffic congestion on the Darjeeling–Siliguri route caused by NBSTC’s long wheelbase buses. They requested that these be replaced with shorter 131-inch wheelbase buses to ease movement on narrow hill roads.