NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Friday said the new small cars being developed by certain manufacturers may be introduced in the Trans Yamuna-East Delhi as taxis to facilitate the availability of public transport in the areas which were most congested and had narrow lanes.
She made the announcement while addressing a gathering in East Delhi in the run-up to the elections for municipal elections in Delhi, which would be held in April.
Though Dikshit did not name any particular car model or manufacturer, sources in the transport department told the Express that the government was considering a move to introduce vehicles like Tata Nano and RE 60 as taxis. Such a measure is likely to ease the traffic burden in most parts of the capital. Deliberations are also on to give some tax breaks to small cars like RE 60 and Nano to encourage more and more people to use smaller vehicles for commuting.
With the number of vehicles in the capital topping seven million, the Delhi Government in the past year took various measures to wean of people from private cars and encourage them to use public transport. The government had also increased road tax on diesel vehicles by 25 per cent last year.
Dikshit said there were many areas in East Delhi where it was difficult the extend Delhi Metro or even ply low-floor buses.