Prepaid auto booth at Pune railway station likely to get shut as harassment from miscreants increases

Bund Garden police took the driver into custody but released him without any action. Later, the same driver returned to the station premises, creating a nuisance and threatening the female auto driver.

Keshav Kshirsagar, the managing head of the auto booth, said so far, around 28,000 passengers have availed themselves of the booth service, collectively saving nearly ₹1.5 crore and preventing from being overcharged by unauthorized rickshaw drivers.

“However, the frequent incidents of unauthorized drivers getting into altercations with registered drivers or passengers are the reason why we will soon be shutting down the booth. The police needs to take proactive measures against such drivers. Otherwise, passengers will continue to suffer,” he said.

After being closed for nearly four years, the booth was re-opened last year in July to prevent auto drivers from overcharging passengers. The autos are operational under the booth charge according to the government-issued rates, which are Rs 17/km for autos and Rs 25/km for cabs.

A recent meeting was held between the traffic department, Bund Garden police, and the Pune Regional Transport Office, during which the traffic police decided to take direct action against miscreants and problematic auto drivers at the station. However, no action has been taken since.

Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) Manoj Patil told The Indian Express that they plan to resolve the issue in the next meeting, scheduled to be held on February 17.