Bengaluru, June 17 (IANS) Karnataka Minister for Transport Ramalinga Reddy has defended the crackdown on bike taxis operating in the state following a High Court order, stating that they are operating bike taxis in the name of courier and parcel services, so action will be taken.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Minister Reddy stated, “Bike taxis are banned by the High Court. We have submitted the state government’s stand on this matter to the court. Officers are taking action because bike taxis are operating under the pretext of offering courier and parcel services.”

He said that the High Court had given six weeks to halt bike taxi services. “That period has expired, and our officers are initiating action in this regard,” he said.

Karnataka Transport and police authorities launched a crackdown on bike taxi services in Bengaluru and other district headquarters on Monday, acting on a directive from the high court.

On Monday alone, RTO officers in Bengaluru seized 103 bike taxis.

About the drive against bike taxis, RTO Additional Commissioner Mallikarjuna stated that the Karnataka High Court had already declared bike taxi services illegal, clearly stating that no provision in the law allows their operation.

“We started the crackdown on bike taxis. Two-wheelers with white license plates cannot be used for commercial purposes. Along with white-plate two-wheelers, white-plate cars are also not allowed for commercial purposes,” he stated.

The Transport Department had not allowed bike taxi services previously, and there is no legal provision for them. He warned that if the High Court order isn’t followed, the crackdown will continue.

Meanwhile, the Namma Bike Taxi Association has written to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, seeking their urgent intervention to revoke the ban.

The letter underlines the livelihood crisis that could hit over one lakh bike taxi riders across the state.

Popular app-based aggregators have already curtailed their services in Karnataka, limiting operations to parcel deliveries.

The crackdown follows the high court decision last Friday, which declined to stay a single-judge bench order directing the cessation of bike taxi services. A division bench, headed by Acting Chief Justice V. Kameshwara Rao and Justice Sreenivas Harish Kumar, extended the deadline for halting services to June 15 and posted the matter for further hearing on June 24.

The earlier order, issued on April 2 by Justice B. Shyam Prasad, held that bike taxi aggregators cannot operate in Karnataka unless the state notifies guidelines under Section 3 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and frames the necessary rules.

The order came in response to petitions by various companies, which sought more time to wind down services.

–IANS

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