HC notice to ELCOT to implement GPS tech in autos, contract carriages

The Madras High Court Monday issued notice to Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited on a PIL seeking a direction to effectively implement the policy on fixing Global Position System integrated fare metres with printers in auto-rickshaws and contract carriages in the state.

The division bench comprising Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad also directed the registry to post the PIL, filed by "RAAHAT: The safe Community Foundation Ludhiana", with the review and contempt petitions filed in the similar matter.

The bench then posted it for further hearing to June 6.

The petitioner submitted that the government order issued in August 2013 required contract carriages and auto-rickshaws operating within the Chennai Metropolitan area limits to install GPS enabled digital fare metres and furthermore to extend it to the entire state of Tamil Nadu.

If these had been fixed, the public would have been saved from being overcharged and also have a facility of emergency alarm raising option in case of safety issues, the petitioner submitted, adding that the policy had not been executed.

This was in spite of the government issuing the August 25 2013 order, and the Advocate General assuring the court in the review application on June 18 2016 that the GPS installation in Chennai would be completed within three or four months and thereafter extended to other cities, he said.

Stating that the GPS would help know the real-time location and the status of fare metres and the panic switch would enable passengers to be connected to the police control room, the petitioner said ELCOT had not taken any steps to implement the scheme.

Submitting that measures should be taken for its successful implementation for the welfare of the people of the state, the petitioner pointed out that National Capital Territory, Delhi, was successfully implementing it.

Hence, he sought a direction from the court to implement the policy in a time-bound manner.