Relax, Big Brother won't touch your car

KOLKATA: There''s good news for the city''s private car owners. Especially those who have just bought new vehicles.
The state public vehicles directorate won''t requisition private cars for elections this time. "We don''t want private car owners to face any problems this elections," a senior PVD official told TNN. The sop, however, is only for Kolkata.
But there is no reprieve for commercial vehicle owners.Motor vehicle officers and the police have already started picking up taxis, mini-buses, buses, lorries, trekkers and even launches, for election duty.
"There is no way one can refuse as the Representation of People''s Act, 1951, makes it mandatory for them to honour that requisition," said a senior poll official.
Election officials argue that they have no option but to mobilise all forms of transport to ensure that officials engaged in poll work face no problem.
According to sources in the state public vehicles directorate, the daily rates of hiring are admittedly lower than prevalent market rates. But these rates are revised before every elections, keeping in mind rising fuel and maintenance costs.
The returning officers in the districts prepare a list of vehicles that will be required for poll duty to the various regional transport and police authorities. "The process starts as soon as we receive the lists from the district magistrates and sub-divisional officers," an official pointed out.
According to figures available with the PVD, Kolkata South has the most requisitions — nearly 440 vehicles ( buses, mini-buses, small vehicles) will be pressed into service. The corresponding figures for Kolkata North East and North West are 235 and 165 respectively.
While the larger vehicles (buses and trucks) will be required to report for duty two days before the elections, the smaller vehicles (ambassadors and Tata Sumos) will be pressed into service a day before, as per the existing provisions.
So, till the counting is over, these vehicle owners will be on tenterhooks.