Maharashtra Halts New Auto-Rickshaw Permits Amid Traffic, Pollution Concerns

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has temporarily suspended the issuance of new autorickshaw permits, citing increasing traffic congestion, pollution and environmental concerns. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Monday that the decision came following a review of the increasing number of permits across the state. Official data shows that around 1.4 million autorickshaw licenses have already been issued; This increases pressure on urban roads and contributes to pollution in major cities.

Transport Minister said issuance of new autorickshaw permits across the state has been suspended from March 9 and Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) have been instructed not to issue new permits until fresh orders.

The transport department will now prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on the issue, which will be sent to the state cabinet for approval. Mr. Sarnaik said, “The state cabinet will determine the criteria for issuing new permits. Apart from this, the cabinet will also decide on the authority to issue new permits.”

The SOP will be prepared and submitted to the cabinet in the next 15 to 20 days, the minister said.

The transport department’s decision comes a few days after the Union government informed the Maharashtra government on February 23 that the issue of auto-rickshaw permits will be taken up at the state level as per local transport needs and traffic conditions.

In October 2025, Mr. Sarnaik had written to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways seeking its opinion on restricting the number of autorickshaw permits in 23 cities with a population exceeding five lakh.

According to the report, the request came following a legal opinion from the state’s Department of Law and Judiciary; In this opinion, it was stated that although the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 does not give the state the power to completely ban the issuance of permits, the government is allowed to limit the number of permits with the permission of the Central government under Section 74.

“The existing number of auto-rickshaw permit holders in these areas is sufficient to meet the needs of citizens and limiting the number of permits will benefit the existing permit holders,” the letter said.

Speaking to this newspaper, Mr. Sarnaik said that many autorickshaw unions had approached him seeking protection for existing permit holders and urged the government not to issue new permits as the increasing number of vehicles was affecting their livelihood. “Many existing rickshaw drivers are finding it difficult to pay the monthly installments of their vehicles,” he said.

Mr. Sarnaik also claimed that a police investigation had revealed that some Bangladeshi citizens had obtained auto-rickshaw permits fraudulently. “We will definitely cancel their permission in the coming days,” he said.