Report and Pics by Hemanath Padubidri
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD/SP)

Udupi, Jan 28: Regional Transport Office (RTO) inspectors and District Taximen’s Association, in a joint operation identified nine private cars including Maruti Omni vehicles that were illegally being run as taxies on Tuesday January 27 morning, at Katpady near here, on National Highway (NH) 17. 

RTO inspectors embarked on this operation, in the backdrop of complaints from the Taxmen’s Association here, that several owners of private cars and Maruti Omni fitted with LPG cylinders are involved in illegally renting out their vehicles, thereby depriving the taxi men of their livelihood. Meanwhile, a few of the owners of Ape and Bajaj auto rickshaws have modified their vehicles to ply passengers and their luggage to far away places across the district.  Although the private passenger buses were issued with permits by RTO to ply on specific routes, the owners were increasingly finding it lucrative to engage their vehicles for excursions, weddings, picnics and outings.  District taxi men have already submitted several memorandums to the deputy commissioner (DC), state transport minister R Ashok and various department officers, urging them to restrict plying of private vehicles for other uses.

Taximen’s Association alleged that 80 such private vehicles are engaged in contract with Suzlon Energy and Nagarjuna Power Plant  that are setting up mega plants in the district here. 

RTO inspectors Nagaraj Bhat and Uday Kumar Kamat, district Taxi men Association secretary Ramesh Kotian and several Association members were present on the occasion.

RTO inspectors collected fines from the nine  private vehicles found to be illegally ferrying  passengers and cautioned them not to repeat the same offence.