Chandigarh: Pre-paid booths for auto-rickshaws get derailed

To make matters worse, in September 2018, physically challenged counter clerks, who were hired on daily wages for issuing receipts to passengers and auto drivers at the booths, dragged the UT Police to the Punjab and Haryana High Court demanding permanent employment.

A senior police officer said, “There was a vision behind introducing this project. There were many complaints from local residents that auto drivers were charging exorbitant fare. Several incidents of crime involving auto drivers were reported. Under the prepaid booth system, passengers are required to deposit fixed fair at the booth along with Rs 10 extra as service charge. The attendant at the booth gives the auto driver the fair and issues a receipt noting down his name, number of his vehicle and destination. In this system, there is a guarantee of passenger security and fixed fair. Initially, the system ran successfully but later it got derailed as there were a few takers for it.”

The auto drivers were bound to pick passengers from the designated places. Rakesh Gupta, an office-bearer of Chandigarh Auto Union, said, “We were not against the system but local people did not prefer it. Online taxi booking service is also one of the reasons behind the failure of this system.”

Harman Sidhu, a road safety expert, said, “Auto mafia was the reason; it did not let the system become successful. If the administration wants to curb the auto menace in Chandigarh, it should revive this system.”

SSP (Traffic) Shashank Anand said, “The matter is sub judice and pending in Punjab and Haryana High Court.”

The concept of pre-paid booths for autos was based on the Dhi Police’s Pre-Paid TSR (three-seater auto rickshaws) Fare Service introduced in 1986. These pre-paid booths are situated in Sector 17, Sector 22, Sector 26, near Chandigarh Railway Station — which was later handed over to Government Railway Police, Haryana — Sector 29, and near Sector 43.