A writ plea has been made in the Madras High Court for a direction to the authorities concerned to seize or detain all the Ape and Tata Magic vehicles, which were granted only ‘contract’ carriage permits, but used as ‘stage’ carriage vehicles.
According to P Annamalai of Neelankarai and four others, all autorikshaw owners following the meter system, the RTOs granted contract carriage licence to Magic o r Ape vehicles on the condition that they should carry passengers on contract basis from one point to another without picking up other passengers enroute. The vehicles which are given stage carriage permits alone can accommodate passengers enroute. However, Magic and Ape autos, which were given only contract carriage licences, were picking up passengers enroute on collection of different fares individually. They were being used as stage carriage vehicles, which was violative of the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, petitioners contended.
Contrary to the prototype test and in violation of the contract carriage permit, the Ape and Magic vehicles are being plied without any regulation for fare or route as mandated for stage carriage vehicles.
To carry more passengers, they had increased the seating capacity by making alterations in the physical structures, which was also not permitted in the Act, petitioners further contended and prayed for a direction to the authorities concerned to seize or detain the Ape and Magic vehicles, until their plying is regularised and fare fixed as in the case of other autorickshaws.
When the matter came up before Justice V Ramasubramanian on Monday, Additional Government Pleader P Sanjay Gandhi took notice.The matter will come up after two weeks.