Gurgaon’s auto rickshaws, a boon or a bane?
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Gurgaon’s auto rickshaws, a boon or a bane?

Commuters say auto rickshaws are a major cause of traffic jams. Overloading, negligent driving and overcharging are some other issues that need to be addressed.

Gurgaon’s auto rickshaws, a boon or a bane? Picture used for representative purposes only.

Auto rickshaws are the lifeline of public transport in Gurgaon. But according to commuters, they have also been causing nuisance on the road.

Sachin Sharma, a commuter, said, “Auto rickshaws are one of the major causes of traffic jams in Gurgaon. Their drivers stop at busy intersections to pick passengers, which slows down the traffic as vehicles line up behind them. Sometimes the result is a major hold-up.”

Auto rickshaws in large numbers at metro stations, bus stands, and near the railway station occupying most part of the roads is another cause for traffic snarls.

Several complaints are made to the traffic department on a daily basis about overloading and negligent driving by auto rickshaw drivers. In fact, overloading of passengers has led to some major accidents. Recently, on Delhi Gurgaon Expressway near Hero Honda Chowk, 8 passengers were injured when an overloaded auto rickshaw turned turtle.

Overcharging is another issue that needs to be addressed. “CNG-run autos have a meter installed to calculate the fare but they are never functional. This leads to overcharging by drivers and sometimes they even demand Rs 100 for a distance of just five kilometres,” said Anurag Thapa, another commuter.

Citing an incident, Sudhir Raj Verma, a commuter, said, “I had to go from HUDA City Centre Metro Station to Cyber Park in Sector 45, which is just four kilometres away, but the driver charged an exorbitant Rs 110.”

According to RTA officials, Gurgaon has a large number of auto rickshaws that run on diesel and add to air pollution.

Hawa Singh, the CPRO of Gurgaon police, said, “We have been penalising them (auto rickshaw drivers) by issuing challans for overloading and reckless driving. We even deflate their tyres when they deliberately park on intersections.” He, however, said that the traffic department does not have enough manpower to manage the traffic.    

 

An overloaded auto rickshaw in Gurgaon.