'Auto drive got people involved'

Traffic police officials say responsible citizens now come forward to file complaints against errant auto drivers

Nearly 10 days after the auto campaign conducted by MiD DAY and Radio One along with the traffic police and the Regional Transport Office concluded, the MiD DAY team carried out a reality check on the usefulness of the campaign.

The reporters checked out reactions of rickshaw drivers in different parts of the city.

Camp
At Camp, the reporter asked a driver to go to Baner and the driver said he would not charge by the meter, and demanded Rs 150. Another driver refused to go to Kothrud. One of the driversu00a0u00a0 asked for half-return fare to go to Malwadi as he would not get any passenger.

Shivajinagar
Many drivers refused to go to Kondhwa and Viman Nagar. But when the reporter wanted to go to Camp, the first auto driver that drove by agreed instantly.

Bavdhan
Around 1 pm, the reporter asked a driver to take him tou00a0 Kothrud. The driver said he'd charge Rs 3 more. When the reporter showed him a copy of the rate card, he said the rate card did not work in that area.

Kalyani Nagar and Koregaon Park
Some drivers still demand a flat Rs 50. Commuter Asma Rahman said, "The other day, a driver charged me Rs 50 to go to Kalyani Nagar from Koregaon Park."

NIBM
The reporter did get a few refusals from drivers to go to Camp. Even though it was around 11.30 am, one of the drivers said he would go Fatima Nagar but not towards Camp, for no reason.

There is a difference
"The auto campaign has generated a positive response," said DCP Manoj Patil. "More citizens are stepping forward to lodge complaints against erring autorickshaw drivers."

ASI Shirke of Yerawada traffic section said, "Yes, there is a lot of difference. Here the drivers don't refuse that often. I think there is almost 80 per cent difference."u00a0 Secretary of Pune Rickshaw Federation Pradeep Balerao also agreed that the campaign has made a lot of difference.