HC asks authorities to prescribe time limit for fixing metres

The Madras High Court today directed Tamil Nadu Government to set down a time limit to suspend/cancel the license/permit of autorickshaws involved in repeated offences, including overcharging.
The First Bench Comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sathyanarayanan, which disposed a PIL filed by N Logu, Secretary, Coimbatore Consumer Voice, Coimbatore, in its order said "It would be appropriate to setdown a time limit in case of such repeated offences prescribing after how many defaults would the license/permit be suspended/cancelled."
The Petitioner sought a direction from the court to restrain the autorickshaw's from collecting excess fares and to direct the authorities to fix revised auto fares on par with the Chennai city in Coimbatore.

In pursuance of a direction from the court a compliance report was filed by the state government stating that a Government Order was issued on October 16, 2014 revising auto fares on par with the rates already notified for Chennai Metropolitan Area.
A counter affidavit was filed by the Government with the details including that out of 10542 autos in Coimbatore district, 8825 have fitted with the electronic fare meters, the last and final time limit given to the balance 1717 auto's to recalibrate their meters within 90 days and replace elctronic meters.
It was also informed in the Counter affidavit that till the new meters are fixed, a conversion table indicating the revised fare structure corresponding to pre-revised fares be displayed in the autos.

The bench directed the Government to review the revision of fares depending upon the fuel price once in three months and issue necessary notification.
It also directed the government to prescribe toll free Numbers and give adequate publicity of the same through the media for complaints of the over-charging, etc and for each district such toll free numbers should be specified. It also directed that the above numbers should be displayed in the autos specifying its purpose.