RTO mulls sterner action against errant auto drivers

For long,commuters have been complaining about the arrogance of autorickshaw drivers in not plying to destinations of their choice.

For long,commuters have been complaining about the arrogance of autorickshaw drivers in not plying to destinations of their choice. Besides,commuters have also been grumbling that rickshaws rudely refuse to travel short distances or overcharge them. Its usual to have rickshaw drivers refusing to ply to certain areas or demanding night charge even in broad daylight.

For all those who face such problems,a complaint redressal system has been planned by the traffic department. We have had plenty of complaints every month from customers. We want to channelise this through a proper complaint redressal system which will make it easier for citizens to register their complaints. We want to come out with complaint cards. The entire system is being worked out,and will be ready by next week, said deputy Commissioner of Police (traffic) Manoj Patil.

While rickshaw drivers have to cough up a fine of Rs 500 and have to face suspension of their licence for 10 days if they refuse to ply to a certain location,the complaints from commuters continue to spiral by the day. Whether it is to commute from Kondhwa to Kothrud,or to Deccan from Camp or from Deccan to Aundh,the rickshaw drivers at the stands refuse citizens outright.

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It is a big problem,dealing with rickshaw drivers, points out Megha Shirole,a resident of Kothrud who has already registered her complaint with the traffic department.

Shantanu Dixit from Kondhwa says that he finds it difficult to get rickshaw drivers to ply within the area. If I need to take my ailing mother to a doctor,I can’t depend on a rickshaw. They refuse to ply short distances and even if they do,they do not ply on meter charges, he says. Though he has called up the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to register his complaint,he is not sure whether any action has been taken.

The RTO,which has a separate complaint cell,registers about 100-150 complaints in a month. An officer from the cell said that they have complaints coming in via letters,smses,phone calls and even emails. The current financial year from March has seen the RTO register 488 complaints,of which 275 have come via letters,121 through smses,80 complaints via phone calls and 12 via email. While nearly 194 complaints were about overcharging by rickshaws,nearly 236 complaints were from commuters against rickshaw drivers refusing to ply to certain areas. As many as 83 complaints were for rude behaviour,and 44 for overspeeding by rickshaw drivers. The RTO has collected a fine of Rs 56,450 in these complaints from rickshaw drivers while 115 drivers have had their drivers’ license suspended for 10 days. RTO officials said that with a channelised complaint cell card which is being planned,there will befaster redressal.

How do you register a complaint?
Citizens can complain via postcard/letter or call on 26051414/9420218338 giving details of the registration number of the rickshaw and the complaint. One can also email on rtopune@data1.in>or sms on 59994 in the format: RTO_Pune_vehicle number_grievance.

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traffic