Meter of mistrust

Perhaps the only time Delhiites cheered for their auto-rickshaws was when the rickety machines of old gave way to much-quieter, not-so-un...

Perhaps the only time Delhiites cheered for their auto-rickshaws was when the rickety machines of old gave way to much-quieter, not-so-uncomfortable and gleaming new replacements. Even so, the relief at the phasing out of old auto-rickshaws could never approach pure joy, the sheer delight of the green brigade notwithstanding. For, even if the new black-and-yellow three-wheelers promised a relatively cleaner air and a more bearable ride, they still failed to make up for the attitude of their drivers.

In fact, if a city were to be known by the character of its auto-rickshaws, Delhi would still come across as the most unscrupulous, arrogant and tourist-unfriendly city in the entire countryepithets that we have long tired of hearing. Yet, debate as we might that our auto-rickshaws are not representative of the city as a whole, we would still find it hard to reconcile to them. The same is the case with taxis, or perhaps even worse if you consider that taxis are nowhere to be found except in a few designated stands which truly limits their utility.

The Delhi High Court8217;s directive to the Delhi Government, police, and weights and measures department to take steps to check the large-scale tampering of meters by auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers in the Capital then has come as a hugely welcome news. In yet another instance of a public interest litigation producing a ray of hope where none seemed to exist, the Delhi Government has been given time till October 11 to place an affidavit detailing the steps it proposes to take to address the issue.

The judges also pointed out the harassment commuters face at railway stations right under the noses of the police. And it is surely not just at railway stations. All auto-rickshaw drivers suddenly seem to have forgotten their city in terms of kilometres from Point A to Point B. The reason is simple: the meter is supposed to record the distance covered and instead of, say, 10 kilometres, it invariably shows 15 kilometres or even more. There8217;s no way you can argue with a device, howsoever blatantly it may have been tampered with. Just why the meter cannot display the actual fare is something only the powers that be can understand.

The petitioners have suggested switching over to electronic meters as one of the ways out of the present situation as they allege, perhaps rightly, that 100 per cent of the meters are tampered with. Another solution, according to them, is to make available speedometers inside auto-rickshaws so that commuters can compare for themselves the reading on the meter and that recorded by the speedometer.

Perhaps the government can think of better solutions as it is up to the authorities to ensure that commuters don8217;t get shortchanged. It would do well to keep two things in mind: one, that nothing is tamper-proof, not even electronic meters, but tampering can happen only if the authorities turn a blind eye to the menace; and two, that if commuters are ready to pay, it is up to the government to ensure that they get adequate service. Delhi awaits the turnaround.