LEFT HIGH AND DRY: Despite many autorickshaws near Secunderabad railway station, passengers experience difficulty in hiring one due to the exorbitant fares quoted by the drivers. -- File photo

HYDERABAD: Evening time means making good moolah for autorickshaw drivers at Secunderabad railway station. As passengers arrive at the autorickshaw stand, the site is no less than utter chaos. Nobody is ready to go by meter, commuters are charged exorbitantly and traffic policemen are mute spectators.

"There is no system in place here. I have to go to Kondapur, the auto drivers are charging Rs. 270. As per the meter, it should not come to more than Rs. 150 or so. But who will argue with them. I have too much luggage and family with me," says an employee from Infotech returning after a vacation from Delhi. Ultimately he had to settle for Rs. 220.

Arun Kumar Raj, another passenger coming from Guntur had a similar experience. He had to travel to Miyapur, but no auto driver would settle for a reasonable amount. Luckily, one driver agreed, but Mr. Raj was asked to pay Rs. 10 extra over meter charges. It was just half past seven in the evening.

While people carrying less luggage are better off as they can go further to find a reasonable deal, the brunt is borne mostly by families and women travelling alone.

Prepaid system

"The policemen are of no use. They are mere onlookers. There are fewer autorickshaws today and they are giving lame excuses for the chaos.

What kind of a system is this? I feel the crunch for prepaid autos," says a woman travelling alone from Delhi.

She is not the only voice favouring prepaid auto system at the station, many long-distance train passengers arriving in the city in the evenings have a similar complaint.

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