Delhi Traffic Police facing tough time reining in Gramin Sewa vehicles

New Delhi: Delhi Traffic Police is facing tough times trying to rein in errant Garmin Sewa vehicles with its missives to the Transport department of the state government for action against them drawing little response from the concerned officials.

"In the past three months, about half a dozen letters with details of hundreds of Gramin Sewa vehicles that were challaned by Traffic police have been sent to the Transport department but we are still awaiting their response in this regard," said Special Commissioner of Traffic Muktesh Chandar.

The problem caused by Gramin Sewa vehicles was discussed at high levels and it was decided to send the list of these vehicles challaned for various violations to the Transport department for stern action, he said.

Traffic police officials say a majority of the three wheelers and four wheelers under Gramin Sewa are modified vehicles and hence fail the fitness tests. These run-down vehicles are also regularly challaned for different contraventions including route violations.

"We have also sent photographs of these vehicles often without even basic requirements like proper head and tail lights, carrying more passengers than the permissible limit, to the transport department," the officer said.

Thousands of three wheelers and similar other vehicles with seating capacity of six passengers, besides the driver, have been permitted to ply in the rural areas, unauthorised resettlement colonies and JJ clusters of Delhi under para transit scheme of the Delhi government.

The scheme was launched for only new motor vehicles, including high capacity three wheelers and similar other vehicles having company-fitted bodies duly approved by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) or any other agency as approved by the Government of India.

The vehicles are also stipulated to ply on clean fuel and fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS). However, most of them are modified old vehicles without any GPS system, said a Traffic Police officer.

Transport department officials said several complaints have been received against the Gramin Sewa vehicles and efforts are on to streamline the service.

"We have received many complaints against the Gramin Sewa vehicles such as seating of more passengers than permitted and route violations. That's why we had given short permits of 4 months to them. Various steps are being taken including a mapping of route to control violations," said a senior official of the Traffic department.

Initially, nearly 6,000 vehicles were issued permits under the Gramin Sewa scheme and now around 3,000 ply on various routes, he said.