16 July,2015 02:29 PM IST | | Shashank Rao
Earlier, illegal autos were cut into half with a cutter, but illegal operators used to join the parts again, and were back in business; now they will be crushed with JCB machines
They tried banning illegal taxis and auto-rickshaws, but these unlawful vehicles have been seen on the roads again. Now, the authorities will literally stamp out this menace by crushing these vehicles.
37 auto-rickshaws were scrapped with the use of JCB machines on July 7 and July 9 at Dahisar
The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Transport Authority (MMRTA) that comprises RTO (Regional Transport Office) officers and those from the Transport department has cleared the proposal of crushing these illegal vehicles.
Starting this month, RTO officials have begun crushing illegal auto-rickshaws and taxis, using JCB machines. The process has begun at Dahisar, near the new RTO. At the spot, the vehicles are brought and lined up, inside an open plot.
"Around 20-odd rickshaws have been brought. These shall now be crushed under a JCB machine," said an RTO official. Due to lack of space, these auto-rickshaws were haphazardly parked on the ground.
These vehicles were then taken on the basis of their vehicle number plates, for demolition. "We are using JCB machines so as to ensure that these rickshaws are flattened and cannot be revived," said an RTO officer.
Here, take that
The roofs of these rickshaws were first removed and then the mouth of the JCB began hammering the vehicle. It soon was crushed within a matter of minutes, the metal frame of these auto-rickshaws shattered, as it changed shape.
The top portion of an auto-rickshaw, which had been put through the process, was completely mangled. "We cut the chassis first and then scrap the auto-rickshaw using a JCB," said annother RTO official. Sources claim that earlier they used to cut these illegal autos into half using welding machines and cutters.
Then these vehicles were dumped in a corner of an RTO ground, before being taken to a scrap yard. But illegal scrap dealers used to join these parts again. After these illegal rickshaws were again welded into one with minor changes, they ran on minor routes.
Auto-rickshaw unions have been claiming that there are several thousands of illegal auto-rickshaws that are plying on the road, especially near railway stations. Most of them ply as share-a-rickshaws from stations.
