New Delhi: The Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) has accused the Aam Aadmi Get together (AAP) authorities of working a “transport rip-off” by forcing auto and taxi drivers to pay bribes to acquire car health certificates.
Addressing a press convention Friday, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva accused Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of utilizing a Delhi-based NGO, Manas Basis, for this function.
Automobile health certificates are authorities paperwork that certify a car is match to be used. The Delhi authorities made them necessary in 2022, asserting a superb as much as Rs 10,000 for non-compliance.
“The Kejriwal authorities has linked the motive force coaching programme with the health certificates and now each driver is required to attend a three-hour coaching class organised by Manas Basis, an NGO linked with Kejriwal and Kailash Gahlot, earlier than getting their car certificates,” Sachdeva mentioned on the press convention.
“There’s additionally only one health centre in the entire of Delhi, in Burari, the place auto drivers should go to acquire their health certificates. About 1,500 to 2,000 drivers go to the centre on a regular basis, however solely about 400-500 certificates are issued”, he mentioned, including that drivers are made to pay as much as Rs 1,500 in the event that they need to expedite the method.
Sachdeva additionally claimed to be in possession of a health certificates that, he mentioned, was issued within the title of a deceased auto driver. On this case, he alleged, the motive force had died in 2017 however that health certificates have been issued in his title to numerous auto drivers. He mentioned he would take his “proof” to Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V.Ok Saxena.
ThePrint reached Gahlot and Kejriwal through telephone calls for his or her touch upon the allegations however didn’t obtain a response on the time of publishing this report. This report shall be up to date if and after they reply.
Manas Basis, nonetheless, denied the allegations. The founding trustee Monica Kumar instructed ThePrint that there was no political involvement within the organisation.
“It’s not funded by anybody, and we don’t take any cash from the auto drivers, neither are we paid by the federal government. We do it fully freed from price as a result of it’s for a trigger,” mentioned Kumar.
The allegations come at a time when two former leaders of Kejriwal’s cupboard — Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain — are already going through corruption allegations.
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What’s Manas Basis
Based in 2000, Manas Basis works on the problems of psychological well being and gender justice, in keeping with its web site.
Listed amongst its companions are UNICEF, the Ford Basis and the general public sector pure gasoline distribution firm Indraprastha Fuel Restricted.
The muse gives a two-to three-hour interactive coaching on gender and gender-based violence to all public transport drivers. The sign-up for this programme is linked with their license renewal or car health course of and is necessary, the web site says.
Monica Kumar instructed ThePrint that these gender sensitisation programmes have been began when Nirbhaya rape tragedy occurred in 2012. But it surely was the 2014 rape of a girl by an Uber driver within the nationwide capital that made the Delhi authorities and bureaucrats see some actual worth within the programme, she mentioned.
“The rationale it was linked with the car health certificates and license is in order that these drivers can come collectively in a single classroom as a result of they’re personal gamers and never linked with a authorities physique like Delhi Transport Company,” mentioned Kumar.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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