Two-stroke autos: End of the road?

Hameed Ashraf | NT

The state government has decided to ban two-stroke autorickshaws in the city from April 1, in order to bring down air pollution. There are around 12,000 such autorickshaws in the city, but most of the drivers don’t have the wherewithal to upgrade to four-stroke or electric autos, as they are much more expensive. Earlier in the 2017-18 Budget, the government had announced a subsidy of Rs 30,000 for any driver willing to make the switch. However, not a single driver got the subsidy and the sanctioned amount elapsed. As the new deadline nears, the drivers appear sceptical and frustrated, reports Hameed Ashraf.

With pollution levels increasing, the Transport Department has decided to ban twostroke auto-rickshaws in the city from April 1, 2022, as they emit high levels of hydrocarbons when compared with four-stroke engines.

“Really?” Ravi Kumar, an auto driver from Kamakshipalya exclaimed when informed about the ban. “They are doing it again,” he quit. Kumar had scrapped his old vehicle in March 2018 and bought a new four-stroke auto for Rs 1.72 lakh with the help of a private financier and has been paying monthly EMI of Rs 6,600. “I did not get any subsidy amount till date,” he said.

Earlier in the 2017-18 budget, the state government had allocated Rs 30 crore to scrap two-stroke autos and replace them with LPG run four-stroke models or electric vehicles in Bengaluru. The money was to be used to provide subsidies to auto drivers who switch from two-stroke to four-stroke or electric autos. However, the amount lapsed after the department failed to implement the ban. Moreover according to the sources, none of the drivers has received the announced subsidy of Rs 30,000 each so far.

It may be noted that the efforts in the past made by the Department to rein in these polluting vehicles have not resulted in much success. According to the transport department, Bengaluru has more than ten thousand twostroke auto rickshaws still operating in the city.

“I gave my auto to an automobile dealer and bought a new one for Rs 2 lakh expecting a subsidy of Rs 30,000 from the state government. I did not receive a single rupee even after four years of surrendering my old auto. After the pandemic hit, my financial condition worsened. Now I am finding it tough to pay the monthly instalments (EMI) to the bank towards the loan I took to buy the new vehicle,” said Abdul Sathar, an auto owner from Shivajinagar.

Somashekhar, president of Unorganised Auto Driver’s Association said, “We fully accept the government’s decision, but what really worries us is the fact that since the order of banning these autos, the transport officials don’t seem to be interested in designing a programme for the distribution of subsidy,” he said.

When asked, a senior Transport department official said, “Some vehicles are driven by multiple drivers but we are giving subsidies only for one vehicle per driver. A few of them don’t have bank accounts linked to Aadhaar so they are not eligible,” he said.

Sources say many drivers couldn’t apply due to lack of vehicle documents such as fitness certificate and bank account details.

A few months back, the transport department had announced a hike of Rs 5 in auto-rickshaw base fares for the first two kilometres. “Earlier, there were around 35,000 autos with two-stroke engines in the city. The number has now come down to 10,000-12,000 as several owners have scrapped their old vehicles and bought new ones ever since a subsidy was announced in 2011,” the official added.

Another official added that no driver came forward to avail the subsidy in 2017- 18, stating that they can’t afford to scrap auto rickshaws. The scheme itself ended after that.

Manjunath, president of the Adarsh Auto and Taxi Drivers Union, argues, “In the past, the department had made many efforts to phase out these polluting auto-rickshaws and many of the drivers had voluntarily replaced their two-stroke engine autos with four-stroke versions. Without the government’s help, many drivers will lose their livelihood. We welcome the move, but the subsidy amount should be hiked to Rs 50,000,” he said.

But the officials said twostroke engines have to go. “The rising pollution levels require efforts from all corners. However, a decision on this has to be taken by the government,” they said.