'Autos should be taught a lesson'

On day 41 of MiD DAYs Meter Down campaign commuters expressed their ire against the constant refusals by arrogant auto drivers want authorities to take stringent action against those refusing faresPlace Outside Borivli Station EastTime 930 am1130 amOffenders caught 3Commuters speakMansi Balani said On a daily basis I waste almost an hour to find an auto that is ready to ply me to nearby destinations Shaheen Khan said Refusal is a common problem faced by almost all the passengers The rickshaw drivers should be considerate towards commuters as it is because of us that they are earning a living Narpath Mankodia said These drivers fail to understand that if commuters get angry they will refrain from using autorickshaws thus costing them their bread and butterAuto driver speaksOn being caught for refusing to ply a passenger rickshaw driver Balasaheb Salunkhe said The mechanic has asked me not to drive on steep roads as it will damage the engine Hence I refused the passengerEncircled A traffic cop tries to reason with a mob of angry auto drivers who ran to the aid of their fellow driver after he was booked for refusal Pic Datta KumbharSpot of botherAuto driver Prithvipal Yadav who was nabbed for refusing a short distance fare said My metre has defunct Hence I said no However when the onduty traffic constable Amit Wankhede checked Yadavs metre his lie was bustedIn a desperate attempt to prevent his licence from being confiscated Yadav came up with yet another excuse My gas tank is empty and I want to go to the gas station to refill it Undeterred by his excuses Wankhede then checked the gas meter and discovered that the tank was almost full In his last ditch effort to save his licence Yadav said I wanted to have lunch and therefore I refused to ferry the passenger Replying to Yadavs lame excuses Wankhede replied Stop giving irrelevant excuses and accept your fault Finally Yadavs licence was seized Text Nivedita DargalkarPlace Sion Junction Time 10 am12 pmOffender caughtu00a01Commuters speakMomina Shamim Sheikh who was denied a fare to Dharavi Depot complained I have been waiting here for over 45 minutes now but not a single driver is ready to ferry me Its time for people to voice their anger against these arrogant drivers and teach them a lesson for the inconvenience they cause to the passengersBooked An errant driver being penalised for denying a farePicSayed Sameer AbediAuto drivers speak Babulal Yadav Since I was in a hurry to reach home I refused the passengerSpot of botherWhen an onduty traffic cop asked a few auto drivers for their licences after they were spotted refusing short distance fares the officials discovered that all these drivers were driving without a licence and batch However a soon as the cops initiated action against the offenders a mob of auto drivers surrounded the officials and confronted the cops Text Vishakha SonawanePlace Mankhurd StationTime 9 am11amOffender caughtu00a01Commuter speaksRajesh Koli who claimed to have visited Mankhurd for the first time said Earlier we used to stay at Kurla and are now shifting to Mankhurd We have come here for the first time When we asked the rickshaw for a fare to Lalubhai Compound he snubbed usAuto drivers speakMohammed Shaikh I agree that I refused the passenger But my reason for refusal was the unknown destination he wanted to go toSpot of botherAn onduty traffic cops nabbed three auto drivers for refusing fares to Maharashtra Nagar In their defence the trio said that the reason for their denial was the pathetic condition of the roads in the area as it would damage their vehicles Text Faisal G Tandel