The decision with regards to the rickshaw-taxi fare hike in Mumbai has been postponed with the issue not coming up for discussion at the meeting of the Mumbai Metropolitan Transport Authority on Tuesday, December 22.
The state government had earlier proposed raising the minimum fare of autos from ₹18 to ₹20 and for taxis from ₹22 to ₹25. While a number of unions opposed the hike, several people have threatened to go on strike on Christmas Day if the hike is not approved. As per reports, even if the hike is sanctioned at the next meeting, the rise in fares may not happen immediately, but from a future date.
However, according to the officials, the issue will be taken up for discussion and approvals at the next meeting. Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Avinash Dhakne confirmed the development.
Moreover, the transport department has decided to limit the distribution of the licenses due to the increasing number of rickshaw-taxis in the state. It will be sent to the Central Government for approval after preparing a proposal that licenses will not be distributed in places with a population of 5 lakh or more.
The central government back in November 1997 had ordered a limit on the number of rickshaws in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, Solapur, Nashik and Aurangabad districts. Accordingly, the state government had proposed that licenses would not be issued beyond certain limits. As a result, the number of taxis along with rickshaws was limited. However, in view of the growing number of passengers and demand, it was decided to completely remove the limit on rickshaw-taxi licenses in 2017. As a result, the number of rickshaws in the state, which was 7.5 lakh at that time, has now reached 12 lakhs. The number of rickshaws in Mumbai at that time was 1,00,004, now it is more than two lakhs.
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