15.10.08

NCR plans a seamless commute

The daily nightmare for thousands of people commuting between Delhi and satellite towns in NCR — Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida and Greater Noida — may end soon. The Capital and its neighbouring states signed an agreement , allowing free flow of taxis, autos and buses across the region.The ambitious agreement, involving Delhi, UP, Rajasthan and Haryana, will come as a breather for inter-state commuters as cabs and autos are either barred from crossing certain state boundaries or have to pay a hefty toll. Restricted movement of buses across borders has further worsened the situation. The movement of people from railway stations and airports was not only cumbersome, it also added to travel costs.With protocol in place, people will be able to hire taxis and autos from the airport, railway stations and inter-state bus depots in Delhi and reach NCR destinations.Under the agreement, permits will be issued to taxis and autos to commute freely across NCR. The agreement will supersede all existing pacts. Inter-state permits will be given to tourist cabs and taxis, using clean fuel and conforming to Euro III norms. These cabs will not have to pay passenger or road tax in any part of NCR over and above the permit charges paid in the state where the vehicle is registered.Vehicles with permits from any one state won’t be required to get these authenticated from other governments in NCR. Similar provisions would apply to autos, operating on CNG, an official said.The pact, being entered under the aegis of the urban development ministry and NCR Planning Board, will also pave the way for chartered buses, a key transport for office-goers, to begin their operations. Urban development secretary M Ramachandran, who was instrumental in pushing the states to reach a deal, said, “The agreement will facilitate unrestricted movement of taxis and autos within NCR.” The agreement, signed under the chairmanship of the UD secretary, will come into effect after all NCR states notify the pact in the gazettes.Vehicles, plying across NCR, will have to conform to Euro III norms and operate on CNG. Under the new protocol, autos and taxis, operating on intra-NCR routes, will be given colour code and logo for easy recognition so that they are not stopped at the borders.The number of autos has been restricted on the basis of permits issued by respective state governments, according to the number agreed in the agreement. However, there is no restriction on movement of taxis on intra-NCR routes. According to the pact, 8,000 autos will be permitted to ply from satellite towns of UP to Delhi and Delhi to UP. The same number of autos will be allowed to operate from Delhi to Haryana and vice-versa. From UP to Haryana, only 1,000 autos will be given permits and only 500 autos will be allowed from Rajasthan to Haryana.However, despite the best intentions, lack of enough CNG filling stations in NCR towns could be a dampener. Haryana transport secretary Sameer Mathur said, “The agreement will be put before the Cabinet and the government will notify it very soon. But in the absence of CNG supply in the cities, adjoining Delhi, autos permitted by us can’t ply in Delhi. We expect the Centre to ensure that all these cities get adequate CNG supply.” Cities like Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabad have a huge fleet of autos running on petrol, but the number of CNG-fuelled autos is abysmally low. While the agreement says that UP and Haryana can permit a maximum of 8,000 autos to ply across the borders, their number is not even onetenth of that right now.

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