Auto-rickshaws in Chennai will be fitted with new meters with global positioning system (GPS) and an electronic digital printer, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said Sunday.

 

 

 She said in a statement: "For the first time in India, auto-rickshaws plying in Chennai will be fitted with GPS and electronic digital printer, free of cost, by the government, involving an outlay of Rs.80 crore."

  

 She said commuters will be given a receipt with the distance travelled and the tariff rate.

  

 "The operation of the auto-rickshaws will also be monitored effectively," she added.

  

 The meter, she said, will have a 'panic button' so that a passenger can press it in case of any danger. The device enables monitoring by a control centre.

  

 She said the government has fixed the minimum tariff rate at Rs.25 for the first 1.8 km and Rs.12 for every additional km. The revised tariff will be effective from Sunday.

  

 The auto-rickshaw tariff in Chennai was last revised in 2007.

 

 –Indo-Asian News Service