Spare people from fare shock, cops urge autos

Kolkata: Auto unions have been advised by cops to decide on fares by this weekend and ensure that the passengers are duly informed of the same before boarding.The cops have clarified that those charging extra — beyond what has been set by the union — will be penalised and the route secretary himself held accountable. The move came after multiple cases of arguments between auto drivers and passengers in the past 48 hours, especially in south and south suburban Kolkata."While we have absolutely no say on fares, we will not tolerate law-and-order issues originating from different fares being charged for the same stretch," said an officer from a south Kolkata traffic guard.Following the police "advisory", several auto unions — the Rashbehari-Behala Chowrasta and Hazra-Ballygunge routes — held meetings to decide on the fare structure. Those who have already increased fares said there was strong opposition from operators themselves to raising fares again. Rather, alternative ways, including route tweaks and cutting down trips, are on the cards."We cannot raise fares as we will lose in competition to buses. However, no final decision has been taken yet," said Arijit Biswas, an operator on the Behala Chowrasta-Rashbehari route.While most autos are avoiding operations in the non-peak hours at present, even getting autos during office hours has become difficult after auto operators decided they shall operate only after 50%-60% occupancy on their return journeys (the one opposite to the office-time movement) is ensured.As such, auto operators waiting at stands have increased, with certain routes operating from Chowrasta and Garia seeking additional parking space from local traffic guards. "We get Rs 96 from one trip while going from Chowrasta to Tollygunge. We will need Rs 60 on the return trip to make the round trip viable," said Swapan Dutta, an operator of the route.With auto fuel barely available only at select pumps, auto drivers claim they are spending a lot of gas just to refuel, especially those operating from city fringes and connecting deeper into the districts. Amid such a scenario, a few routes increased fares on Wednesday and Thursday, several of them having resisted fare revisions since March earlier.A trip from Chakraberia to Lake Gardens has been increased by Rs 2. Jadavpur-Rabindra Sarobar route is charging Rs 2 extra. Similar fare revisions have taken place between Lake Gardens and Rabindra Sarobar. At least two routes in Dum Dum have increased by Re 1-Rs 2 per stage."I had to wait for over 40 minutes for an auto at Tollygunge Metro for Sakherbazar. At least, there were 15 autos around 8.30 pm at the stand but they said they were out of gas," recalled Sutirtha Banerjee, a resident of Silpara.