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43000 cases booked against autos in last 3 months, say police

CHENNAI: The Chennai traffic police had booked 43,000 cases against autorickshaws for violations, including overcharging passengers and for rash and negligent driving, additional commissioner (traffic) Md Shakeel Akthar said while speaking at a seminar on regulation of auto tariff' organised by the Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) here on Friday.

Akthar said that the police were taking strict action against traffic violations and had collected fines amounting to Rs 2 crore in the past three months, which included Rs Rs 33 lakh from autorickshaws. Pointing out that 56,300 autorickshaws and 250 share autorickshaws were plying in Chennai, he said the traffic police had booked 1.70 lakh cases against autorickshaws for various violations committed last year.

Responding to suggestions made by some of the participants in the seminar that autorickshaw stops', like bus stops, could be formed and the display of name, address details of the driver and owner behind the driver's seat could be mandatory in all autorickshaws, Akthar said the ideas would be taken up for consideration at a joint meeting of the traffic police and the transport department.

Transport commissioner S Machendranathan said that the introduction of a prepaid autorickshaw system in more places would help minimise violations, overcharging, as well as rude behaviour by autorickshaw drivers. The system was being implemented at the Chennai Central railway station and Koyambedu bus terminus and it would be introduced at the Egmore railway station soon, he added.

N L Rajah, advocate and CAG trustee, said that the Delhi government was successful in converting petrol and diesel-operated autorickshaws to CNG-run vehicles, which had resulted in reducing pollution levels. The Tamil Nadu government should also take steps to reduce air pollution caused by autorickshaws, he stressed.

P Mahalingam, a road safety campaigner, who made a presentation on a study conducted by Anna University, said that many foreign countries were considering distance and time of travel to fix autorickshaw tariff, to make the fare reasonable for drivers and passengers. The time factor was not being considered in India, he added.

Stating that about 33% of autorickshaws in Chennai were rented vehicles and another 27% were being owned by private financiers, he said that the authorities should consider public transport tariff calculation methods, which was being practised in other countries.

4 Apr 2009, TNN