Pink autos driven by men seized; traffic cops asked to get tough
The initiative was inaugurated by the chief minister on March 8, 2025, under the Safe City Project, and aims to both ensure safer mobility for women and create livelihood opportunities for them. In the first phase, 165 pink autos were distributed, with another 85 autos slated for distribution in the coming months.
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As part of the scheme, each eligible woman driver receives a 1 lakh subsidy, bank loan assistance, a one-week driving and safety training program conducted by the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation, and a mandatory pink uniform. "Importantly, beneficiaries are required to sign an undertaking not to transfer ownership or allow others particularly men to operate the vehicles," said M Haritha, district social welfare officer.
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Despite these provisions, complaints have emerged from multiple parts of Chennai regarding unauthorized male drivers operating the pink autos. After issuing several warnings to the beneficiaries, the Social Welfare Department, along with RTO officials, seized two such autos in the past week.
Taking further steps to ensure compliance, the social welfare department has now enlisted the help of the traffic police. Personnel have been instructed to identify and seize any pink autos being driven by men, with immediate effect. "The scheme's core objective women's safety and empowerment must not be undermined, and any violation will be met with strict action under the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicle Rules and the amended Motor Vehicles Act," said an official from social welfare department.
M Sampath of AITUC, a central Chennai auto driver and member of the Collector's Committee for Social Security Schemes, said the pink autos should have been given to women who were already driving autorickshaws. "If that had been done, the scheme wouldn't have been misused," he said. He added that Chennai has around 1.20 lakh auto drivers, of whom only about 300 are women.
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