On December 14, the state Transport department and Regional Transport Offices (RTO) urged Mumbaikars to get proactive, call and complain on the toll-free helpline number 1800-22-0110 from Sunday, if they found auto rickshaws or taxis plying without recalibrated electronic meters.

Ironically, commuters who have eagerly called the number to give vent to their angst are now busy launching on tirades against the helpline itself, which is unreachable most of the time. When MiD DAY called up the number yesterday, only to hear a recorded message, which droned: ‘Due to faulty line, your call cannot be completed at present’. When we called again in the evening, it kept ringing but nobody picked up.