Beware of pre-paid thugs!

RAILWAY MINISTER Lalu Prasad Yadav?s decision not to increase train fare, despite the hike in petrol and diesel prices might have been a sign of relief for the passengers, but the pinch is felt when one steps out to pick a conveyance to one?s destination.

RAILWAY MINISTER Lalu Prasad Yadav’s decision not to increase train fare, despite the hike in petrol and diesel prices might have been a sign of relief for the passengers, but the pinch is felt when one steps out to pick a conveyance to one’s destination.

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The pre-paid auto rickshaw facility was, literally, making the passengers pay through their nose— all in the name of hike in petrol and diesel prices..

“Earlier, I used to pay Rs 50 to Rs 60 (at the most) to reach sector 21 of Indira Nagar, and now the demand is nothing less than Rs 80,” said Rohit Sanyal.

Moreover, he demanded transparency in the pre-paid service as there were properly displayed rate cards or even the GRP men seated in the booth are of any help while dealing with the auto-rickshaw owners. Babloo Misra, another passenger feels that sometimes he has to pay more than the train fare to an autowallah. He blamed the GRP for not taking any initiative in helping the passengers getting the rickshaw despite knowing the fact that the passengers are often cheated in the name of the pre-paid facility. Misra advocated the system of meter. “We see metres installed in auto rickshaws, but of no use,” he said and added that there should be a watch-dog top monitor the system.

“Instead of the GRP, the traffic police or the railwaymen themselves should regulate the autos in the Charbagh railway station and premises.

On indiscriminate hike in prices, Munna, an auto driver said that it was due to the hike in petrol prices. He said that the GRP, Traffic and the RTO people are made aware of the rate list that is displayed on the premises. But surprisingly there was not even a single rate list displayed prominently. Even the figures mentioned on the existing rate chart at the entrance of the Charbagh junction are hardly visible. Another autroricksaw driver on the condition of anonymity admitted that the money charged was bit more, as they also have grease the palms of GRP men. “But tell us any other way of meeting the expenses,” he quipped.

Over 500 autorickshaws ply regularly from the Charbagh railway station. “But only half among them do business, and most of the passengers prefer sumos and mini buses,” said Anwar, a driver. Though he advocated streamlining of the system, but feared many among them would go out of business.