The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : No end to fleecing ways

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

No end to fleecing ways

Staff Reporter

Autorickshaw drivers continue to exploit commuters

If we ply by meters, we can hardly make both ends meet, complain auto drivers
Caught in the middle of the tussle are traffic constables

— PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL

No end in sight: Passengers arguing with an auto driver for charging exorbitant fare in Secunderabad on Tuesday.

HYDERABAD: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Newton’s Third Law can be seen in action at the Secunderabad Railway Station. As the government made digital meters mandatory, auto drivers turned their ire against the hapless commuters by refusing to ply on the meters.

During peak hours in the morning and evening, the station turns into a war zone with irate commuters fighting with stubborn auto drivers. And the police constables remain mere spectators. Auto-drivers fleece the commuters by charging them at least twice the actual rate.

“Last week, an auto driver demanded Rs.80 from Secunderabad to Kharkhana,” says Srinath Kesavan, a regular commuter. Though there are over 20 autos at the station at any given time, most refuse to go by meters. “The rate of oil, petrol and gas has gone up…if we ply by meters, we can hardly make ends meet,” says an auto driver, Vinod.

Senior citizens, women and children suffer the most from this callous attitude. “It’s very difficult for me to travel by bus as I am suffering from arthritis,” says 75-year-old Nageshwar Rao, a resident of Gandhinagar. With auto drivers refusing to ply on short distances, commuters feel that at least the bus service needs to be improved.

“In the mornings, it’s very difficult to get into a bus with luggage as they are so crowded. It’s the same situation even in the evenings,” says M. Jayanthi who shuttles between Bangalore and Hyderabad every week. “Earlier, on tampered meters we probably paid Rs.5 to Rs.10 extra, but now they demand an inflated amount outright,” says Mukesh Jain. With a sharp increase in the cab-culture in the city, auto-drivers feel that plying by meter doesn’t make much sense. “Commuters are ready to pay anywhere between Rs.100 to Rs.150 for a short distance to a cab driver, but if we demand the same, they say it is unfair and that we are cheating,” argues Srinivas Murthy, another auto-driver. Caught in the middle of this tussle are the traffic constables. “Many a times we have forced auto-drivers to ply on meter. We have to drag them towards a commuter,” says traffic constable Rajesh. “Every body has a profit motive, so why shouldn’t we have one?,” questions Srinivas. Profit or fight for survival, it’s the commuters who are at a loss.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh