Auto rickshaw drivers demand 580 stands in city

NAGPUR: Almost 16,000-odd auto rickshaws are plying in city and there are hardly few authorized stands or a designated place to park these three-wheelers. On Wednesday, hundreds of auto drivers under the banner of Nagpur Zilla Auto Chalak-Malak Mahasangh held demonstrations and demanded auto parking at almost 580 places across the city. The auto union also handed over memorandums of demands to mayor Anil Sole, standing committee head Dayashankar Tiwari, leader of opposition, Vikas Thakre, municipal commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal and traffic department and RTO officials.
Of 16,000 three-wheelers, 11,500 are permit holders while rest do not have them. There are 4, 500 auto rickshaws in corporation limits even though they have no permits. Sources said, in 2009, Regional Transport Authority (RTA) comprising of traffic police, RTO and NMC officials notified over 212 autorickshaw stands. The notification said that the stands would be at various spots including Rani Jhansi square, LAD square (Gandhi Nagar), Hill Top etc. However, the municipal authorities only put up signboards of auto stand and demarcated the area, to accommodate hardly five to six autos at one stand.
Secretary of auto union Harishchandra Pawar said, "We have demanded at least 580 auto stands to accommodate 10 to 12 auto's at one stand at proper place at major junctions, bus stands and railway stations". Presently, from Variety Square to RTO, Law College square, Ravi Nagar, Ram Nagar, Sitabuldi, Sadar, Manewada, Mhalgi Nagar, Amravati Road etc, you will find autos parked under some tree or near bus stops or near squares.
The permit holder auto drivers always face the wrath of traffic cops for wrong parking just because hundreds of our autowalas do not have proper parking place in city. "Along with 580 stands, we have asked municipal authorities to at least provide a proper parking place at few major junctions like Lad College, Ravi Nagar, Kotwal Nagar, Deendayal Nagar, near Radhe Mangal Karyalaya, Hingna road, near CRPF gate, Empress Mill, Uday Nagar Ring road, Manewada road, Ramdaspeth, near Kalpana building Ramdaspeth, Sadar etc", he added.
"The three- wheeler autos runs as per norms and guidelines. It is the six-seater auto rickshaws that are plying illegally in city creates chaos at busy junctions like Sitabuldi, Sadar, RBI square, Variety square, railway station etc. Almost 3,000 to 3,500 such six-seater autos operate from the city. Similarly, around 700 Tata Magic vans have started operating from city limits," union member Mohan complained. "If the municipal authorities give proper place for operating auto's from market area and busy junctions, there will be no traffic congestion", he added.