(IN) Kalyan tonga owners offer to ride off roads, ask for auto licences

[Guest guest]

Kalyan tonga owners offer to ride off roads, ask for auto licences

 

Volunteer out of fear of a ban, following Hema Malini's request to RTO

 

By Nilesh Nikade

Posted On Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 02:09:31 AM

 

Hema Malini had cited cruelty to the animals and requested that the licences of

tongas not be renewed

 

Days after Hema Malini wrote to the Kalyan RTO urging them to order tongas

off the city's roads, it appears the actress may soon get her wish.

 

On September 7, Mumbai Mirror carried a report on Hema Malini's written appeal

to the authority, following the death of a pony abandoned by a tonga owner in

Kalyan.

 

The RTO authorities then raised the issue with the civic body, which issues

licences for horse-carts.

 

Anticipating that the government would pay serious heed to Hema Malini's

request, tonga owners called a meeting on Monday evening to decide their next

move.

 

They decided to voluntarily retire their fleet, and even wrote to the RTO

communicating this. Following this, they also met RTO, traffic and municipal

officials expressing their readiness to do away with their carts.

 

However, they have set one condition: they must be given autorickshaw

permits.

 

Explaining the decision, President of Thane Region Rickshaw Taxi Mahasangh

Prakash Petkar, representing the tonga owners, said, 'The owners do not make

much money now. Besides, it is dangerous to run horses on busy streets. A

majority of us have thus agreed to pull our carts off the roads, but the

government should provide us with alternative means to earn a livelihood, such

as rickshaw permits.'

 

Dy RTO Babasaheb Ajari of Kalyan said this request has been forwarded to the

Transport Commissioner, who will consider the proposal. However, no decision

will be taken as long as the election Code of Conduct is in place.

 

Meanwhile, Hema Malini was very pleased at the development. 'I am really happy

about the decision taken by the tonga owners,' she said.

 

Nilesh Bhanage, convenor of Plant and Animal Welfare Society, said, 'The

practise of employing animals is cruel. The government should ban tongas first

and then consider giving out auto permits.'

--------------------

Regards,

 

Nilesh Bhanage

+91 9920777536

www.pawsasia.org

www.freewebs.com/pawsproducts

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HigxbMqfh0