PUNE Namisha Choudhary and her family, including senior citizens, were left with no option but to take an autorickshaw from Pune railway station that charged ₹300 fare to take them to their Yerawada destination on Tuesday.
The Choudharys had to pay only ₹80- ₹100 if they had visited the prepaid auto rickshaw booth at the station premises. The booth facility has been closed down since many days.
“The auto drivers waiting at the station premises demand high fares as they know that prepaid auto booth is closed and we have to depend on them. Authorities should restart the facility at the earliest to check fleecing of hapless passengers,” said Namisha.
Pune traffic police along with the railway administration had restarted prepaid auto booth in September 2021. A similar facility was launched at the station in 2019 before the Covid outbreak.
A spot visit found the prepaid auto booth closed on Tuesday.
“We had started the prepaid auto booth for the benefit of passengers, but it seems they are not willing to pay a nominal additional charge to avail the facility. We will check why the booth has been closed down and restart it,” said Rahul Shrirame, deputy commissioner of police (traffic).
Meanwhile, the space on the station premises dedicated for autorickshaws is encroached by beggars and anti-social elements, posing danger to passengers who use the stretch.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the space on the station premises dedicated for autorickshaws is encroached by beggars and anti-social elements, posing danger to passengers who use the stretch.
{{/usCountry}}Manoj Jhawar, Pune railway division spokesperson said, “The autorickshaw stand premises is regularly monitored and cleaned. RPF policemen make regular rounds to keep the area safe for passengers.”