The Allahabad High Court has directed the authorities concerned, including Uttar Pradesh transport department, to ensure display of the prescribed fare on all public transport vehicles like tempo and taxi.
It has directed that the fare should be displayed at all relevant public places for relief to travelling passengers.
It left the matter to the authorities for taking all the requisite measures and steps and granted four weeks time to do so.
The court fixed August 27 as the next date of hearing the matter and sought an affidavit from the Commissioner, Transport Department, specifying all the steps taken on or before the next date.
A division bench of Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Rakesh Srivastava passed the order on July 31 on a PIL filed by an NGO seeking a direction to ensure that the prescribed rates to be charged by public transport vehicles like tempo and taxi were required to be properly displayed on it as also at public places.
"On the submission made in this petition, prima facie, it appears that the issue raised by the petitioner is of direct public importance and is, in fact, required to be attended at to by the officers concerned immediately " the court observed.
Respondents, state and the transport department have filed a counter affidavit (reply) and explained action taken in the matter.
The court was not satisfied with it and further observed that "mere publication of an appeal or mere booking of a few vehicles cannot be considered to be that of taking effective and concrete steps for ensuring that the final relief to the public that the vehicles concerned would charge only the prescribed fare."
As a first step, it issued aforesaid directions to the authorities concerned and sought its compliance.
