Transport minister Diwakar Raote on Monday announced that five per cent auto rickshaw permits will be reserved for grandchildren of former mill workers when the state government issues one lakh new pe
Transport minister Diwakar Raote on Monday announced that five per cent auto rickshaw permits will be reserved for grandchildren of former mill workers when the state government issues one lakh new permits. Apart from mill workers, there will be five per cent reservation for women. Kin of 105 martyrs who laid their lives for Samyukta Maharashtra (with Mumbai) and 85 martyrs who laid their lives at Belgaum during border dispute too will have reservation. These reservations will be over and above 52 per cent reservation given to different categories, Mr Raote said.
However, Mr Raote as well as Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who was present when the announcements were made, did not reply on how they will defend the decision if it is challenged in the court. As per the Supreme Court ruling, reservation cannot be more than 50 per cent.
The minister said that these reservations would be applicable to about one lakh new permits, the process for which is yet to start. He also made it clear that a similar pattern of reservation would be followed in taxi permit’s distribution. He credited Mr Thackeray for mooting the idea of implementing the reservation policy while giving taxi and auto rickshaw permits.
“It was Mr Thackeray who suggested to me that why should we give reservations only in jobs and not in businesses. It was a very good idea and it also shows how he always thinks about the welfare of sons of soil,” Mr Raote said.
But when pointed out that reservations cannot be more than 50 per cent, Mr Raote said, “We are not touching 52 per cent reservations which are already there. Reservations given to mill workers and martyrs of Samyukta Maharashtra movement are not on the basis of social status of a community,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Thackeray said he was confident that nobody would challenge the decision. He said, “Mill workers have played a major role in shaping up Mumbai. If the government is doing something for their welfare, I don’t think there is anybody in the state who would object to it.”
Mr Raote said though the decision to make knowledge of Marathi language compulsory for autorickshaw permits was welcomed by all sectors, several went to non-Marathi speaking candidates.
