State govt to frame guidelines to regularise movement of totos

SOUMITRA NANDI, MP, 11 Aug 2024, Kolkata: The state Transport department is all set to frame guidelines for streamlining the movement of totos, particularly in the urban areas in a bid to make roads congestion-free. 

The department that has already initiated the process of registration of totos plying across the state will not allow persons less than 18 years of age to be on the wheels of a toto and would ensure that a toto does not have multiple owners. 

“There are a large number of people who earn livelihood by steering a toto. We do not want any one of them to be deprived of their earnings but we are determined to usher in a discipline in their movement as per instructions by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. 

Totos now need to be mandatorily registered with our department. The survey exercise for determining the actual number of such three-wheelers in different parts have already been initiated,” said Snehasis Chakraborty, minister in-charge of the state Transport department. Once registered, totos will be provided with a QR code scanning which all details regarding the owner will be available. 

The police, the urban local body or Panchayat Samiti along with officials of the Transport department will then earmark the specific route of the toto. In the recent past, totos have emerged as a welcome mode of transport for ensuring last mile connectivity but at the same time in some urban areas, their numbers have proliferated to such an extent that resultant traffic snarls have been causing great inconveniences to commuters. 

The department has received complaints in this regard from urban areas in Howrah, Hooghly, Siliguri, Asansol, Barasat to name a few. A senior official of the Transport department pointed out that as per Supreme Court guidelines, three-wheelers are not supposed to run on highways. 

The police try their best to ensure this. However, in recent times, there have been instances of totos flouting such rules and running on highways. Fatal accidents have also occurred due to such breaking of regulations. 

According to sources in the Transport department, in certain urban areas like Burdwan town, Kalyani in North 24-Parganas have already been able to streamline the movement of totos. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/state-govt-to-frame-guidelines-to-regularise-movement-of-totos-575378?infinitescroll=1