There is no
need to repeat this story but I could not help getting reminded of the same
when I read following news report ( Economic Times / 17 July ) :
Transport Min won’t Board Niti’s Car-Pooling
Plan
·
The transport ministry is not in favour of
Niti Aayog’s suggestion that taxi aggregators should be allowed to rope in
private cars to increase the availability of vehicles for passengers.
The
ministry’s view is that vehicles used for commercial operations are registered
as such and there is no
such provision in the Motor Vehicles Act to allow private cars to run as
app-based taxis, including operations such as ride-sharing and pooling.
“We
have to protect the interests of over 5 million taxi owners who have paid
commercial duties and permit fees to run taxis. Their employment cannot be
endangered and also allowing
private cars would be something like doing away with the concept of taxis,”
a top government official said.
Currently,
commercial vehicles attract higher duties, insurance premium and other permit
charges than private vehicles.
The
official said the safety of passengers using such services also has to be kept
in mind.
“Even
if it’s a lot of convenience, various legal aspects also have to be kept in
mind. Even if it’s allowed, some
registration mechanism for such cars has to be found,” the official
added.
India
is examining the use of
private vehicles as shared taxis in an effort to reduce car ownership and curb
growing traffic congestion in major cities.
Niti
Aayog, which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has partnered with
companies including ride-sharing firm Uber Technologies to assess the economic
and environmental impact of using private cars as taxis, a government official
involved in the process said.
The
idea is to set up a clear
and reasonable regulatory framework for ride-sharing so it allows
companies to operate in India without ambiguity.
Such
a move could dent car sales in India, where the ownership ratio is low compared
with other countries.
There are about 20 cars for every 1,000
people in India.
But then , Shri Amitabh Kant ( CEO-
NITI Aayog ) has repeatedly said :
“ Regulatory framework always lags
behind technological innovations and is, perpetually , in the catch-up mode “
Judiciaryin the footsteps of Technology ?
He is a
patient man who perseveres – never gives up !
And he is
backed by a visionary like Shri Anand Mahindra , whose Company is also moving
in the direction of ride-sharing cars !
18 July 2017
www.hemenparekh.in / blohs