Bihar cracks down on 'Jugaad gaadi'

Bihar's popular 'Jugaad gaadi' — a locally-assembled improvised cart fitted with diesel/kerosene pump-set engine and motorcycle handle which is used for transportation of people and goods in remote areas of the state — will go off the roads now.

While the Supreme Court had put a ban on commercial plying of non-registered 'Jugaad gaadis' in May 2013, the unauthorised vehicles continue uninterrupted with their business on the roads. Its sturdiness has made it a very popular mode of transportation in areas that still do not have pucca roads. Transporters also use it for its cost-effectiveness.

However, the Bihar government has now decided to crackdown on these makeshift vehicles and the state transport department issued instructions to all regional transport authorities and district transport officials to ensure compliance of the same. The move will hit thousands of Jugaad gaadi drivers operating in the state.

A senior transport department official said Jugaad gaadis are neither registered nor issued permits, which cause much revenue loss to the government. "However, they have emerged as a big environmental concern too, as they are mostly run on diesel or kerosene gen-set or pump-set engines and do not have pollution under control (PUC) certificates," he added.

An official of Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) said the carbon emissions from Jugaad gaadi is much higher than the prescribed norms. "Their usually old and loud engines also add to noise pollution," he said.

The BSPCB officer said in recent years, the ambient air pollution in Patna and some other cities of Bihar reached alarmingly high levels. "In that context, Jugaad gaadi is almost life-threatening," he added.