Notwithstanding the protests staged by the drivers’ unions, the city police are now taking the drive against fleecing autorickshaws to the next level.
As part of intensifying its ongoing drive against autos that operate without fare meters, the city police will also take up the responsibility of serving the notices issued by the Motor Vehicle Department to the erring drivers. The step comes in the wake of a severe manpower shortage experienced by the MVD in enforcing action against erring drivers.
“As per the plan, a couple of officials in each of the 30 police stations in the city limits will be entrusted with the task of serving notices to autos in the respective locations. The police will also be keeping a digital book to update the status of each of these notices and action taken on these’’, Hari Sankar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order, Traffic)
Police have so far seized the permits of 170 autos plying in the city without meters and imposed a fine of Rs 500 on each of them in the continuing drive for the past four days. The agencies are now planning to institutionalise the drive to make autorickshaws meter-compliant.
To expedite the process of suspension of licences of the autos, which do not adhere to rules in this regard, the police will submit details of such autos to the Regional Transport Office and will collect the notices to the autos from the RT office and issue them directly. “The auto drivers will be thus forced to respond to the legal process fast leading to suspension of their permits. This or even further stringent measures will be applicable even if they don’t respond to the notice,” said Hari Sankar.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police said that the police are in the process of finalizing a phone number for people to lodge complaints.
