Hyderabad, July 31: For the average Bangalorean, engaging an autorickshaw is not an automatic choice. Rather, the three-wheelers are hired for want of a reliable alternative.
The public are tired of complaining about auto drivers refusing to go to their destinations, their demand for extra fare, defective meters, absence of silencers, and much more.
Therefore, the Government’s decision to issue permits for 40,000 autorickshaws does not really amuse many of them. Why should it?
According to statistics compiled by the City traffic police, in 2011 alone, as many as 16,312 complaints have been registered against auto drivers who refused to go on hire, 9,898 complaints against those demanding excess fares, 10 against those with faulty meters. (see table for statistics from 2007)
Yet, this by no means represents the situation in its entirety. Says Beena S, a final year MA student, “I think they (can) read our minds. For I have been cheated more times during my exams when I am in a hurry, than otherwise. They sort of figure out when we are desperate.” But then, given the TINA (there-is-no-alternative) factor, commuters like Beena continue to ply in autorickshaws.
What is the transport department doing? Transport Commissioner Sham Bhat says, “The department is aware of this and is taking several measures including an exclusive RTO for autos to check irregularities.”
However, experts and some officers of the Department of Transport believe that checking irregularities will open a Pandora’s Box.
“If you want irregularities to disappear from the roads of Bangalore, it must begin with the transport department”, says an officer seeking anonymity.
M N Sreehari, Advisor to the State Government for Traffic, Transport and Infrastructure, had said:”From obtaining permits to renewing licences and from avoiding penalties on faulty meters to unchecked silencers, there is a way to convince (bribe) officials there.”
Former Transport Commissioner Bhaskar Rao had admitted that there is a nexus between corrupt officials and autorickshaw drivers in the City and that the department had initiated an inquiry into the same.
The proposed exclusive RTO for autorickshaws was also aimed at cracking the whip on errant drivers and to break the nexus between officers and drivers. “We want to completely transform the way autorickshaws are bought and drivers are issued licences and permits,” says a department official.
Will officers like him get help from autorickshaw drivers and colleagues? The answer is yes on paper, but will be subject to the test of time for people to believe.
The autorickshaw unions in the City are vehemently opposed to the move. Apparently to suit their cause, the unions admit that drivers with illegal permits – running into thousands – ply autorickshaws in the City. “This is why we want a comprehensive study to be conducted by the transport department before issuing new permits,” they reason.
Unions threaten stir
Srinivas Murthy, President, Autorickshaw Drivers’ Union (ARDU) has warned that the union would block roads for a half hour each day at prominent traffic junctions beginning August 1, if the government does not withdraw the order. Echoing the views of other autorickshaw unions, he says ARDU was not opposed to issue of new permits but that they want the decision to be a result of a serious study that will represent the exact needs of the City.
But the department is in no mood for a review. Transport Commissioner Sham Bhat told Deccan Herald there was no question of reviewing the decision or conducting a study now. The decision has been made and it will stay that way.
“There are autorickshaws that are plying without permits. We also know of mishandling of permits and illegal sale of permits. These issues need to be tackled before deciding to issue more permits,” Murthy argues.
According to ARDU, with more vehicles on the road, the travelling speed will be reduced besides impacting the income of the drivers, who are already hardpressed financially.
Commuters, though, do not want to get caught in this muddle. “All I want is a fair system. Is it too much to ask for?’ laments Jijo Cheriyan, who works for an advertising firm.
There aren’t too many people who want to take things up with the authorities, as the traffic police put it. Caught up in their own routine, people are equally responsible for creating such a situation, they say.
Autorickshaw unions, while conceding that some of their “brothers” do cheat people, argue: “What else can they do? They need to pay money at every step of plying an autorickshaw. They pay to get licence, to park, to ply the autorickshaw, and so on.”
They suggest a system where the government lends drivers loans so they are free from financiers, and appoint efficient and honest officials. This could lead to less harassment. They also want the government to consult drivers before adding or removing autos from the city.
“Also, there must be a system where the permits are not transferable as in Maharashtra. This would help reduce a lot of unethical practices among drivers as it prevents the financiers from harassing them,” Murthy says.
On inquiring, Bhat, however, informs that there is no provision for such a move in the Motor Vehicles Act. Autorickshaw unions want the government to consider them as public servants and create a pool of measures to ensure security. That the government is yet to begin the enrolment process for the ‘Autorickshaw Drivers’ Welfare Board’ does not go down well with them.
One has to still spend time waving for autos and more time bargaining or arguing with the drivers until an alternative is found.
Namma Metro might not be the real solution until it connects larger parts of the City.
This, going by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited’s (BMRCL) record, is a long wait away.
–Agencies