Omni to replace tempos in Indore

The Indore bench of the Jabalpur High Court has ordered the replacement of aging tempos in Indore with Maruti Omni vehicles running on liquefied petroleum gas, with a sitting-capacity for seven or more.

Tempo unions see the court verdict as a major victory. Their had demanded pollution-free small vehicles replace the tempos in the city.

Union leader Pradip Karnik said it was a major victory for the tempo owners. The court has asked the district administration to set up a committee comprising the divisional commissioner, the collector, and the regional transport officer to decide on an alternative vehicle.

Until the report is submitted, tempos with permanent licences will ply in the city and all temporary licences will be cancelled.

The regional transport officer said the court had asked him to find out whether Maruti could supply 550 vehicles (to replace the 550 tempos) by September 30, the deadline given by the administration to cancel permits of all the tempos.

Earlier, the district administration had insisted that only pollution-free, mid-sized vehicles having a sitting-capacity for 22 replace tempos.

But, tempo unions' response was that they would not be able to afford the mid-sized vehicle because it was beyond their means, and they were pitching for an affordable, smaller vehicle.

The unions had moved the high court after they received a warning from the district administration that their licences might be cancelled if they did not come round to plying mid-sized vehicles.