New Delhi (Agency): The Supreme Court, the top judicial body of India, has given the Delhi government more time to set up rules for bike-taxis in the city. The new deadline is now September 30, 2023.
The AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) government in Delhi had asked for this extension. This is to help them create the Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme. This scheme will help manage bike-taxi services like Rapido and Uber in the national capital.
A group of judges, Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi, gave permission for this extension. They said, “The application is allowed and extension of time for issuing notification on Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme, 2023 is extended till September 30, 2023.”
During the discussion, the judges were curious. They wanted to know why the Delhi government was taking so long to make these rules. The Delhi government’s lawyer explained that they are working on a strong policy. However, it needs a bit more time to be ready.
Earlier, on June 12, the Supreme Court had made a decision. They had stopped a previous order that allowed bike-taxi services, Rapido and Uber, to work in Delhi. This decision was made until the Delhi government could create a new policy for these services.
Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited, the company behind Rapido, had some concerns. They felt that the Delhi government’s order to stop using bikes for transport was made without good reason.
Earlier in the year, the government had warned bike-taxi services in Delhi. They said that if these services did not follow the rules, they would have to pay a fine. This fine could be as much as Rs 1 lakh.
Rapido was not happy with this. They got a notice from the city government, but they said it was not fair. They felt it went against their rights and also against the principle of natural justice. Rapido stated, “The direction issued by the transport department under the impugned notice is ex-facie arbitrary and passed without following due process under law, without providing any reasons for such prohibition.”
Rapido also mentioned that the city government’s actions were different from what the central government wanted. The central government had set guidelines for giving licenses to these bike-taxi services. These guidelines were made in 2020, under the Motor Vehicles Act.
In conclusion, the debate about bike-taxis in Delhi continues. The city government now has more time to decide on the rules, but many are waiting to see what happens next.