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Tamil Nadu
Share autorickshaw drivers with least knowledge of road rules tend to cause freak accidents, writes L. Srikrishna 
On the sidelines:A “conductor” clinging to a share autorickshaw on the Albert VictorBridge in Madurai. “My name is Arputharaj… I am 13 years old. I am working as a conductor in a share autorickshaw for the last 20 months. Every day, I travel between Simakkal and Maatuthavani bus stand. My day begins at 8 a.m. and goes on till 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. with an hour's lunch break. I collect about Rs. 1000 to Rs. 1300…” he narrates. One can see at different bus stops many lads like Arputharaj, sitting on the doors of share autorickshaws and inviting commuters to board their vehicles. While many people have raised their brows over employment of young boys, there is no concrete action from the authorities concerned to put an end to this menace. Not knowing the consequences of the risk of travelling is a different story. But the boys do say that they have fallen down on many occasions, when there was huge crowd during peak hours. For the record, reliable sources in the three RTOs say that there are about 100 share autorickshaws plying with permit within the city limits. But there may be an equal number of vehicles operating without valid permits, they confess. In a recent drive, the RTO authorities found that many drivers did not have valid licence. Basic documents on the vehicle too were not available at the time of check, an Motor Vehicles Inspector said. Many share autorickshaw drivers have the least knowledge of road rules and tend to overtake vehicles on the wrong side causing freak accidents. On the Madurai-Melur Road, near Maatuthavani bus stand, it is a common sight to find these drivers being abused by motorists for not following traffic rules, Ramesh, an advocate, practising at the High Court Bench says. Daily altercations between share autorickshaw drivers and Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation crew have forced the police to put barricades on busy roads such as Vakkil New Street and Goripalayam. Trespass But still the share autorickshaw drivers trespass into bus stops giving less room for buses to pass through safely. During nights, some of these share autos are so risky that lone women apprehend trouble taking it, especially those operating on the peripheries, a young woman employed in a private pappad company near Anuppanadi said. Though the RTO officials and police jointly book offenders, much needs to be done in larger public interest, a functionary of a non-governmental organisation said.
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