Aggressive auto drivers oppose campaign, argue with commuters in bid to escape police action
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Aggressive auto drivers oppose campaign, argue with commuters in bid to escape police action
On the second day of the campaign launched by MiD DAY and Radio One along with the traffic police and the Regional Transport Office (RTO), 15 autorickshaw drivers were booked.
Even during rush hour, the drivers refused to ply or brazenly asked for extra money.
MiD DAY reporters chose to check on ST Stand and railway station at Shivaji Nagar from 11.30 am to 1.30 pm as a large number of autorickshaws ply there during the peak hours. Despite the presence of traffic police officer just a few feet away, 13 rickshaw drivers refused fare and two asked for more money from passengers.
When the rickshaw drivers were caught by the police, they tried giving lame excuses to escape. A few reasoned that they were in a hurry to go to school to get children, when actually summer vacations are going on. One driver excused that his mother was sick and he wanted to reach home at the earliest.
In the morning, 15 auto drivers were booked at Shivaji Nagar ST Bus Stand, Deccan Gymkhana and J M Road. Another 14 were found in the evening for refusal-of-fare, wrong uniform and also rude behaviour. A few alert citizens expressed their support to the campaign.
Dramatic day
The Deccan Gymkhana traffic branch Police Inspector Balkrishna Khutwal, ASI Chandrakant Kadam with Police Constable Bandu Khade, Manoj Chavan, Police Naik Anjum Shaikh and Kiran Kadam joined the auto campaign in the morning. The 15 errant drivers were booked under section 178/3 of the Motor Vehicle Act of 1988 with the revision made in 2008. They were charged a fine of Rs 100 and a licence suspension report was sent to the RTO after confiscating their vehicles.
Reporter: Shree Lahiri, Sonia Rodrigues, Abid Hasan and Shweta Raut
Place: Bata chowk
Time:u00a05.45 pm-6pm
Offenders caught: 3
A foreigner, Karina S V, who resides in Koregaon Park, was getting off from an auto that she had hired from Koregaon Park. She said that the rickshaw drivers usually overcharge foreigners. "But now I am well aware about this as I stay here. I have the rate card and also know how to calculate the meter reading," she said.
Another passenger Shaji Balakrishnan, a manager in an IT company, said, "Sometimes the rickshaw drivers misbehave, specially if they have to go a short distance."
u00a0
Reporter: Shree Lahiri, Sonia Rodrigues, Abid Hasan and Shweta Raut
Place: Indira Gandhi Chowk
Time: 6.05 pm to 6.30 pmu00a0
Offenders caught: 2
A driver refused and another was not wearing the right uniform. Soon, a battalion of auto drivers, accompanied by a policeman arrived and said, "We heard there are some people who are taking down numbers and questioning auto drivers."
But when the reporters told them about the campaign in association with the police, Hawaldar Gyaneshwar Popal Ghat seemd happy and said, "This is good,u00a0citizens should be made aware about such problems."
A Boxwalla, a serviceman, said, "At night when I have to go to Fatima Nagar, they ask for even three times the actual fare or more."u00a0
To register your complaint Call 020-26208225
This is an exclusive number given by traffic police to MiD DAY readers to register refuse-to-fare complaints.
You can also send us your complaints at punemail@mid-day.com.
To send in your complaints by SMS: Type RTO, followed by space, your complaint and send it to 59994.
For example: RTO autorickshaw number XYZ is charging extra fare from Swargate to Pune Station.
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