Bid to control Siliguri totos

The meeting attended by minister Deb on Friday

TT, Siliguri: The Darjeeling district administration will regulate movement of the increasing number of totos (battery-operated rickshaws) across Siliguri and will conduct a survey to ascertain the total number of such vehicles so that those can be provided with a temporary registration number for identification and to ensure that such vehicles move on designated routes.

The decision was taken at a meeting held at the state guest house here on Friday. State tourism minister Gautam Deb was present at the meeting.

For past few months, totos have been moving across the city, and even through prominent and busy roads like Hill Cart Road, Sevoke Road, Bidhan Road and Burdwan Road. In fact, some totos are also plying along NH31 and NH31D which skirt the city.

Such movement by the vehicles On these roads and highways, which are already clogged with traffic during the rush hours, has only added to traffic congestion of Siliguri.

"We will conduct a survey to find out THE exact number of totos plying across the city and its surroundings. After that, a temporary registration number will be issued for each vehicle by the state transport department so that the administration can identify new vehicles and can also identify the existing ones," said Deb after the meeting.

The meeting was attended by the district magistrate of Darjeeling, officials of state transport department, Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), Siliguri Metropolitan Police (SMP) and Trinamul councillors of the local civic body.

It is also decided that a committee comprising representatives of the subdivisional officer, regional transport authority, SMC and SMP would be formed to work on the issue.

An official from the state transport department will act as a nodal officer and will monitor the entire process.

Once the survey and registration of the vehicles are done, the administration will take the task of fixing the routes of the battery-operated rickshaws.

"These vehicles are not allowed to ply on highways and major arterial roads. We will strictly maintain it. Also, we will keep a tab on establishments which sell these vehicles. If any showroom or assembly unit of totos is found to be run illegally, it will be closed down," the minister added.

A source in the administration said at least 8,000 totos ply in and around Siliguri.

"The number is increasing every day and hence, we need to make these moves," the source said.

A few days back, over 5,000 drivers and owners of totos had held a rally in the city and had demanded temporary identification numbers for their vehicles.