The Hindu : Karnataka News : Government to move High Court on autorickshaw permits

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Friday, Jul 27, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Government to move High Court on autorickshaw permits

Special Correspondent

It is challenging a State Transport Appellate Tribunal order

Assurance comes following MLA M.R. Seetharam’s appeal
Ministers Balachandra Jarkhiholi and Iqbal Ansari make the promise

BANGALORE: The Government will direct the Advocate General to move the Karnataka High Court to seek permission for issuing fresh autorickshaw permits.

An assurance to this effect was given to Malleswaram MLA M.R. Seetharam during question hour in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday by Minister for Social Welfare Balachandra Jarkhiholi and Minister for Labour and Minorities Welfare Iqbal Ansari.

Autorickshaw permits have been suspended for nearly two years following a stay order given by the Karnataka State Transport Appellate Tribunal.

Mr. Seetharam has been enabling the youth of Malleswaram to obtain autorickshaws through the government-run Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Corporation, the Ambedkar Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Corporation and the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation.

He sponsors the margin money needed for obtaining a loan for the purchase of the vehicles. The scheme has, however, come to a halt as permits have been stopped.

Hitherto, the Government issued autorickshaw permits with a quota for each category. While those reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minorities were given to the respective government-run corporations, that available for the general category were released through the Motor Vehicles Department.

The Transport Appellate Tribunal, in an order issued two years ago, has said that there could not be reservations in the issue of permits to particular boards and corporations. It is this order which is being challenged by the Government in the High Court.

Mr. Seetharam said there was a fraud in the Minorities Development Corporation in the grant of autorickshaws and it would be better if the lottery system of the Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Corporation and the Ambedkar Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Corporation was adopted by the Minorities Development Corporation.

Mr. Iqbal Ansari said that on receipt of complaints, the Minorities Development Corporation had suspended the distribution of autorickshaws. It was now providing the margin money for autorickshaw loans and the applications were thereafter forwarded to nationalised banks concerned.

Planning

Earlier, Sharana Prakash Patil, Congress MLA from Sedam constituency, speaking on the budget and the demands for grants of various departments, said it was unfortunate that planning had been relegated to the background and consequently, the Government’s spending had become erratic. It is imperative for the Government to reorganise the Department of Planning and also rejuvenate the district planning boards, he said. “Leave it to the rural people to decide what they want. Officials sitting in the Secretariat cannot sit in judgment over the requirements of the people in the far-flung areas,” he added.

Mr. Sharana Prakash Patil said “red-tapism” was the hallmark of the functioning of the Government. Decentralisation in administration was only on paper and by and large bureaucrats were overbearing. It is time changes were brought about. “None of them had the guts nor the commitment or the vision to change the system. Budgetary allocations of this year were merely marked by a small increase in the previous budgetary allocations,” he said.

With reference to poverty, he said, the Government should come forth with poverty alleviation programmes rather than extend doles to the poor. Providing bicycles or extending some concessions would not suffice. The country would achieve progress only if the living conditions of the poor improved.

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