By IANS,
New Delhi : A day after announcing that auto-rickshaws would be replaced by battery-operated vehicles, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Thursday said no such move was in the offing for now.
“The proposal to phase out auto-rickshaws is certainly not going to be done immediately,” Dikshit told reporters here.
She said that many automobile manufacturers had approached the Delhi government with proposals of battery-operated auto-rickshaws, cars and vans.
“We just want that in future, cleaner fuels are used for public transport. This is in a very embryonic stage… let us see where the future takes us,” Dikshit said.
Dikhsit Wednesday created a flutter when she announced in the state assembly that her government wanted to phase out the auto-rickshaws, also known as the poor man’s taxi.
“Auto-rickshaws are not a good option. They are uncomfortable and pollute environment. Auto-rickshaw drivers are unruly and harass passengers,” she had said.
Over 55,000 auto-rickshaws ply on Delhi’s roads and are an important means of transport for lakhs of commuters.