NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the city government to ensure strict compliance with the rule mandating fare metres in auto-rickshaws, and conduct random ground-level checks to enforce metre usage, aiming to eliminate fare-related grievances for passengers across the city.
While hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Anand Mishra, a bench comprising Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela questioned the government’s counsel on the lack of adherence to metre fares, emphasising the inconvenience faced by commuters when drivers insist on private negotiations.
The PIL sought the urgent implementation of Rule 74 of the Delhi Motor Vehicle Rules, 1993, which mandates fare metres in auto-rickshaws and taxis. Mishra’s plea highlighted that fare metres have not been operational since 2018, with authorities showing minimal effort to rectify the situation.
“More than 92,000 auto-rickshaws are registered and in operation. The passengers are bound to pay Rs 70-100 for a distance of 1-2 kms and this is highly illogical and arbitrary. The people are being looted recklessly,” mentioned the petition.
The petitioner further urged the court to direct the transport department to address the issue promptly. The petition stated that the auto-rickshaws/taxis are barred from plying over the roads by the mandate of the Rule 74 of Delhi MotorVehicles Rules, 1993, if not equipped with an appropriate fare metre as mandated in Rule @ 74 of Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules, 1993.
However, the government’s counsel argued that passengers have the option to report non-compliance, as each auto-rickshaw displays a complaint number for such situations.
The court, however, was unconvinced, with Justice Manmohan recalling similar issues from personal experience, noting how drivers often cover metres to negotiate fares, circumventing the fare metre mandate. “This must be enforced,” the court stressed, adding that fare metre evasion cannot persist unchecked.
The bench further instructed the government to ensure inspectors are deployed effectively to monitor compliance on the ground, thus ensuring that commuters are not forced into unfair fare negotiations.