State govt may appeal against ban on jugaads

JAIPUR: The state government might go in for an appeal against the recent high court ban on plying of jugaad. “The chief minister called a meeting of the home and transport departments the day the high court had banned the plying of jugaads in the state. On March 18, it was decided plying of jugaads will be halted on listed highways in the state but that they can ply on kuccha roads in rural areas,” home minister Shanti Dhariwal said and indicated if needed, the government can go for an appeal.
Dhariwal’s intervention came after a question was raised on the banning of jugaads by Congress MLA Raghu Sharma during the zero hour in the assembly on Monday.
On March 5, the high court had directed the state to ban jugaads in the state, in response to a PIL. The court had asked the government to frame a policy on the banning of jugaads and table it within a month and to ensure that jugaads do not ply in the state within three months.
However, after the accident on the Morel bridge near Sawai Madhopur, where 26 students were killed, after a bus collided with a jugaad, the high court taking suo motu cognisance of the matter banned jugaads with immediate effect on March 18 and has asked for a compliance report from the government by April 2.
In reply, transport minister Braj Kishore Sharma said, “The government has taken the matter seriously. A survey would soon be conducted with help from collectors, patwaris, gram sabhas etc so as to estimate how many jugaads are there in the state. Thereafter we would give a reply to the high court as asked by it by April 2.”
“Jugaads form the main source of ‘sustenance’ in rural Rajasthan. They are used not only to transport people but also cattle fodder. Banning them would not only throw a large number of people out of employment but would also lead to a shortage of cattle fodder specially at a time when the state is facing drought-like situations in many areas,” Sharma said.
The house was united on not banning jugaads. Deputy leader of Opposition Ghanshyam Tiwari said there are about 1 lakh jugaads in the state and banning them would mean depriving employment to that many people. He demanded the government take suitable action to safeguard the interest of these people and inquired if the state would go for an appeal against the high court orders.