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| Govt turns blind eye as autorickshaws fleece passengers | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Feb 14
It may sound weird but it is true that an auto rickshaw ride from Railway station to Residency road or some other destination in city could cost commuter a hefty sum of Rs 200.
This open loot is going on unabated and especially the tourists are soft targets of auto rickshaw drivers, who try to take maximum advantage by charging exorbitant fares to drop visitors to their respective destinations thus robbing them off their fortune.
If sources are to be believed even Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would ever get an opportunity to ride an auto rickshaw from Railway Station to his official residence or some other part of city, chances are that auto rickshaw driver if fails to recognize him he would charge any thing between Rs 150 to 200.
No auto rickshaw driver on ground is charging the fixed rate on different routes and they are dictating terms to the commuters overlooking dictates of the Regional Transport authorities as far as fares are concerned, sources added
Auto rickshaw drivers fleecing passengers seems to have become an inseparable feature in city. Even with prepaid booths in place, nothing discourages these drivers from quoting ridiculously exorbitant prices to anyone who walks out of the railway station.
Tugging at your luggage, making over-friendly gestures and in their efforts to get passengers, auto drivers try their best to create doubts in the minds of travelers by telling them about the “higher” rates at the prepaid counter.
Unaware, many settle for whatever the auto driver is charging, without properly enquiring the rates.
Pallavi, a working woman, who had come to the station to receive her relatives, feels that it is mostly the outstation tourists and foreigners, who get cheated.
She said, “If you do not know the exact fare, you can be charged at least double the actual fare from railway station to any part of city particularly if the auto rickshaw drivers are certain that they are dealing with a tourist. When you come out of a railway station or airport, expect to be quoted an outrageous fare, sometimes ten times the normal rates.”
Ironically, in a city which is frequented by thousands of visitors/tourists each day, the auto rickshaw drivers do not want to make use of meters fitted in their auto rickshaws nor any transport authority has ever carried out a drive to slap penalties in the name of defaulters too set the system right.
Ironically, the unholy nexus between the auto rickshaw drivers and transport authorities is flourishing right under the watchful eyes of transport authorities and other vested interests.
If a survey is conducted across the city, it would come to the notice of surveyors that most of the auto rickshaws were not sticking to the rate list and brazenly duping the commuters and charging exorbitantly without inviting any penalty.
In some cases if ever a police complaint is lodged or tourist police is informed by the more aware commuters instead of taking stern action against the erring auto rickshaw driver, the tourist police men try their level best to convince the tourists not to take notice of these petty things on their holiday and enjoy their stay.
It is for this reason the auto rickshaw drivers have never been penalized and openly robbing the commuters.
It is hoped that whenever Chief Minister is ready to step out of his official residence and if makes up his mind to travel in an auto rickshaw, he surely would have a first hand experience of the auto rickshaw drivers’ ways of minting more money from commuters.
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