Jamshedpur : The traffic wing of the East Singhbhum district police has written a letter to Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) asking the civic body to point out if there is any legal auto-rickshaw stand in the city.Based on the lines of Sitaramdera bus terminus a similar stand for autos will be set up.
Deputy superintendent of police (traffic) Rakesh Mohan Sinha said that concern over the rising traffic congestion in the city they have mooted an idea to set up a separate stand for the autos. The number of auto-rickshaws here has crossed well over 25,000 this is the prime season why there is an urgent need for a permanent stand.
“The auto-rickshaws� stands have mushroomed in every corner of the city as per the convenience of the auto-drivers. Since there is a few notified mini-bus stands in the city, their should be a stand for the auto walas too,� he noted. The traffic DSP said that the auto-rickshaw drivers are operating in most irregular manner.
“The auto-rickshaw drivers tend to pick up passengers from the zone which prohibits them to do so like at an intersection of the main road and Sakchi island. The way the auto-drivers are operating while picking up passengers could well be seen on the CCTV footage that the district police has set up at Sakchi,” said the senior police officer.
At present, there are over 16,000 auto-rickshaws and over 300 stands in the city. Of these, more than 50 per cent of the stands are unauthorised and are located in the residential areas. Auto stands at residential areas not just create congestion on neighbourhood roads but also �an unhealthy atmosphere�, claim residents. Auto stands are located in 17 densely populated neighbourhoods, including Bistupur, Sonari, Kagalnagar, Burmamines, Sakchi, Jugsalai and Baridih.
Unauthorised parking behind Voltas building in Bistupur, where auto drivers park vehicles along the arterial stretch, causes inconvenience to residents. �Parking of autos leads to congestion on the narrow road leading to South Park,� said resident Kumar Anand.
It is the same case in front of TRF on the stretch connecting Burmamines and Sakchi. �Autos are parked on either side of the busy road in front of the TRF Company, blocking the turning angle of intersection. As a result, persons on vehicles cannot spot vehicles turning the bend, raising chances of accidents,� Rajeshwar, a resident of Burmamines, said.
He said as the number of autorickshaws and taxis increased, their owners and drivers formed unions and occupied public space for auto and taxi stands. They would get the stands inaugurated by politicians. There were many such autorickshaw and taxi stands in the city. While clearing encroachments upon roads, the then district administration had declared that in future no road would be allowed to be encroached upon in the city. But the authorities were doing little in this direction now, he said.
Deputy superintendent of police (traffic) Rakesh Mohan Sinha admitted that auto-drivers tend to park their vehicles on unauthorised stands. �We do take action against auto-rickshaw drivers by slapping fines and advising them to park vehicles at authorised stands only, but they continue to violate the rules,� said Sinha.
