Maharashtra to issue 81,450 replacement auto rickshaw permits

The Government of Maharashtra has announced that it will issue 81,450 replacement auto rickshaw permits against lapsed ones across 49 RTOs. The permits are to be issued between March and October 2014.

To apply for an auto rickshaw permit, the applicant should be at least 20 years of age, residing in the state of Maharashtra for 15 years, without a break and should have passed Class X. Additionally, the applicant should have basic knowledge of Marathi.

The Government had stopped the issue of auto rickshaw permits in 1997 - seventeen years ago. The three-wheeler segment has seen a decline of about 11% due to the economic slowdown. The Government's decision to issue replacement permits should provide some relief to players like Bajaj Auto, which manufactures and sells 45,000-50,000 auto rickshaws a month.