Calcutta, Oct. 31: Transport minister Subhas Chakraborty has said the government will not permit the Tata Magic, an eight-seater car, to run as a shuttle in some parts of North 24-Parganas as the vehicles will cause traffic snarls.

The car was supposed to get a stage carriage permit this month from the regional transport authority in North 24-Parganas.

A few of the vehicles — it costs around Rs 2.60 lakh — run without permits in the Barasat-Bongaon area of North 24-Parganas as a shuttle service, the transport authority said.

But Chakraborty said in the Writers’ Buildings today: “We shall not issue permits to the Tata Magic in rural Bengal. We want 30-seater vehicles to transport people because they will cause fewer traffic problems.”

He added that he “won’t allow Tata Magic to ply in rural Bengal like in Darbhanga and Munger in Bihar”.

The car is believed to be a popular mode of public transport in Bihar.

Chakraborty’s announcement caught the transport authority in Barasat unawares. “We have received nearly 500 applications for plying Tata Magic cars for public transport. We would have selected the applications soon at our next board meeting,” said Subhas Mukherjee, the vice-chairman of Barasat transport authority.

Mukherjee, a Citu leader, said the applications for the car were accepted in accordance with a government order issued in December last year.

He said the government order stated the vehicles could be given permits in the Barasat zone. “Tata Magic and Tata Winger vehicles may be considered by different RTAs to ply as maxi cabs with stage carriage permit in the districts except in areas under Calcutta Municipal Corporation, Howrah Municipal Corporation and Salt Lake municipality,” the order said.

A transport official said the order was issued to cater to rural areas where taxis don’t run. Mukherjee said the routes for the shuttle had also been identified in the district.