Whenever rain lashes B’lore, why auto meters go wonky?

Whenever rain lashes B’lore, why auto meters go wonky?
Deccan Herald

The sudden rain came in handy for the auto drivers to take the hassled commuters for a ride.

The showers that the City witnessed on Friday evening did not last for more than three hours. But the lives of Bangaloreans were thrown out of gear with many important roads getting choked with traffic and turning slushy. Potholes only added to the woes of road users.

Commuters dependent on public transport had a tough time getting back home after work. Even as they were trying to cope with the distress of getting wet in the rain the unscrupulous autorickshaw drivers were out to take advantage of the situation by fleecing them. The commuters’ pleas to accept fare according to the meter went unheeded.

The City received only moderate rain of 27.5 mm as per the reading by the Meteorological Department at 8.30 pm.

Ms Sanuja Mohammed Ali, an employee of a publishing firm, said she found it difficult to get an autorickshaw as the drivers were unwilling to accept meter fares.

“The attitude of some of the auto-drivers is off-putting. I was at Koramangala braving the rain for nearly 40 minutes before I could convince an autodriver to take me to Indiranagar and that too at Rs 75. The normal fare is Rs 35,” she said.

Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation Commissioner Upendra Tripathi said that on Thursday Bangaloreans easily managed to face the inconvenience caused by the nationwide strike with 88,000 autos being off the road. The 400 extra BMTC buses that were pressed into service on the day largely helped mitigate the commuters’ hardships.

Risky shelters

Ms Sandra N, an MBA student at Christ College, observed that taking shelter under a tree on a rainy day could be risky with anti-social elements and eve-teasers lurking around. The scene is no better for those women who have their own vehicles.

After the rain the stretches that witnessed traffic snarls most were: Hosur Road, Richmond Road, Old Madras Road, Airport Road, Dairy Circle Junction, Infantry Road, Koramanagala, Chalukya circle and Koramangala continued for hours together.

Owing to water-logging on Hosur Road, some vehicles even had to be diverted to Double Road, said Mr M A Salim, DCP, Traffic East.

TRANSPORT DEPT’S PROMISE

Call centre coming to help you

Bangalore, DHNS: Here is a promise from the Transport Department to discipline auto drivers in Bangalore.

Come October, the State Transport Department will launch a call centre that will serve as a helpline for Bangaloreans.

Transport Commissioner Om Prakash said the citizens can lodge complaints against unruly drivers including auto drivers besides getting information regarding transport sector at the proposed call centre. He said the contact phone numbers of RTO officers will be available at the call centre to facilitate the public to interact with them.

Mr Prakash said his department has suggested that the government should increase the penalty fee of Rs 100 to Rs 500 from the auto drivers who demand more money than the fixed fares.