There is considerable improvement in the clearance of autorickshaws and buses, which used to literally block the main exit gate at Visakhapatnam Railway Station.
Though 'prepaid auto' service was launched at Visakhapatnam Junction several years ago, the long queues irritated passengers and make them rush to the exit gate to look for other autos and city buses.
To cash in on the demand, auto drivers park their vehicles outside the exit gate to pick up passengers and make a fast buck. As autos used to occupy most of the space near the bus bay, the bus drivers had to park the buses close to the exit gate and pick up passengers.
This has been happening for the past few years with no solution in sight.
“I came by the Visakha Express from Vijayawada on Saturday. It was a pleasant surprise for me to see the buses parked in an orderly manner and autos moving away promptly after picking up or dropping passengers,” says a frequent traveller.
“I noticed that posting a Police Constable near the RTC counter at the Bus Bay did the trick. The constable was announcing on the mike to quickly clear the way and asking bus drivers to park their vehicles in the bus bay,” he says. He, however, says: auto drivers are now parking their vehicles near the Kali Bari and coming into the railway station premises to solicit passengers. They are charging four to five times more than the actual fare.
This menace should be checked, he adds.
B. Madhu Gopal
