19 November,2010 07:00 AM IST | | Bipin Kumar Singh
From Monday, Traffic police and RTO to relaunch drive against autos refusing short-distance fare; overloaded goods vehicles too will be under watch
That autorickshaw driver who generally refuses to ferry you a short distance might have to do a rethink before he says no again.
That's because the RTO is all set to launch the second phase of its drive against autorickshaw drivers who turn passengers away.
Traffic cops penalised several errant autorickshaw drivers that refused passengers during MiD DAY's Meter Down campaign
Another campaign that will be carried out is to nab outstation goods vehicles which are loaded beyond the permitted capacity.
"The drive against autorickshaw drivers, who refuse short-distance fare, will begin from Monday," Transport Commissioner of Mumbai, Dilip Jadhav, told MiD DAY. The drive will continue for at least a fortnight.
The focus of the drive will be in crowded areas in the eastern and western suburbs where you have to wait endlessly for a rickshaw. Drivers who are caught will have to cough up Rs 500 as penalty.
A team of more than 15 inspectors and their subordinates will monitor the drive.
Team to monitor
In April and May this year, MiD DAY and Radio One, along with the RTO and traffic police, had carried out a similar drive against taxi and autorickshaw drivers.
u00a0
The traffic police and RTO had then said that the campaign was a runaway success.
Heavy load
Jadhav also told MiD DAY that the drive against overloaded goods vehicles will begin on Monday. "Drivers of overloaded vehicles will have to pay up to Rs 5,000 as fine," said Jadhav.
On the occasion of Bakri Eid onu00a0 Wednesday, the RTO conducted a surprise check on trucks laden with animals to ensure whether specified guidelines were being followed.
"Of over 4,000 trucks that were checked in Mumbai and Thane, 600 were made to pay a penalty as norms to cart animals were being flouted brazenly," said an RTO official.
1,551
Number of taxi drivers booked or fined during MiD DAY's campaign carried out earlier this year
5,018
The number of taxi drivers booked for refusing fare in 2009
1.25 L
The amount collected as penalty during the MiD DAY campaign
Auto Union says
"I believe genuine rickshaw drivers will never refuse any passengers. The drivers who do turn passengers away are those whose vehicle permits have been cancelled as they do not meet guidelines. These drivers are the ones who are plying illegally and this is done in cohorts with the RTO and traffic police," said President of Mumbai Autorickshaw Union, Sharad Rao.
