Jamshedpur, May 23 : Auto-rickshaw drivers convened a meeting at Sakchi and protested against highhandedness of the auto-rickshaw stand managers and also the traffic cops.
The auto-rickshaw drivers decided to meet East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amit Kumar next week with a demand for allotment of a place for making one more auto-rickshaw stand.
Nishad Khan, a senior functionary of the union said that the auto-rickshaw stand managers are harassing those auto-drivers who do not operate from an auto-stand in Sakchi where presently five auto-stands exist.
” We want that the administration must interfere and bail out our issues. Of the 20,000 auto-rickshaw in the steel city, about 2,000 auto-rickshaw do not have any designated stand. As a result of which, these auto-drivers have to violate the traffic rules by picking passengers from the No-entry zones in Sakchi.
But for picking up passengers from the no entry-zone, each drivers has to pay Rs 50 to the line manager who take the money for handling the traffic cops,” said Khan.
The auto-rickshaw driver pointed out that all them cannot park their vehicle in the designated auto-stand because the line managers have to pay an amount of Rs 5,000 for getting entry into the stand.
Deputy superintendent of police (Traffic) Vivekanand Thakur said that picking up passengers from no-parking zone is an offence.
” We are working on to streamline the traffic. If the traffic cops prevent the auto-drivers from picking up passengers from no-parking zone, then the auto-drivers should not make any complaint about it. But if any line managers of the auto-rickshaw stands are taking money from the fellow drivers, then it is the internal issue of the auto-drivers,” said Thakur.
State Congress leader SRA RizwiChabban said that the administration should take immediate steps to address issues of the auto drivers. He noted that when larger vehicles can run inside the city so why not tempos. If that happens, drivers are willing to fight. The Congress party will not at all allow the government officials to harass the drivers.