212 automen booked by RTO in 2 days

Mumbai: The RTO continued its crackdown on rogue auto drivers for the second day on Wednesday booking more than 200 drivers in all.
While most of them were booked for refusing passengers, some were rapped for not having valid documents, plying with four passengers and no badge. The drive was conducted outside Bandra (E) and Borivli stations. The RTO officials were in plain clothes impersonating commuters.
“The auto drivers behaved badly and refused us on the face. They were taken aback when we issued them a memo politely and asked them to hand over the rickshaws,” said an official who was part of the drive. As many as 30 autorickshaws have been seized, and in most cases, the driver’s licence has been suspended for 15 days or he has ended up paying a hefty fine of Rs 2,000.
Said a regular commuter, who is a school teacher in Bandra, “We are a group of 15 teachers coming from as far as Vasai daily to Bandra for work. The auto drivers have a cartel, which only caters to commuters going to Bandra-Kurla complex. For other areas such as government colony, Chetana college or other parts of Bandra East, there are no autos available during critical office hours. This is frustrating.”
“We have taken up the issue seriously. Citizens can complain on our tollfree helpline 1800-22-0110,” said state transport commissioner Shyam Wardhane.
Maharashtra Shiv Vahtuk Sena secretary Maqbool Mujawar said the RTO should not just crack a whip but also set up auto stands. “Our union had submitted proposal for 100 new stands. But they are yet to be approved by RTO. If we have these stands and a constable regulating the autos, it will put an end to commuter woes permanently,” he added.