Commuters stranded in auto strike

RANCHI: With over 7,500 auto rickshaws going off roads on Saturday owing to the strike called by auto associations against a new traffic rule, commuters had a harrowing time in the state capital.
Thousands of people, including daily commuters, were stranded in different parts of state capital, many of them seen looking for alternative modes of transport, as members of Jharkhand Diesel Auto Association marched to governor house, protesting against the new traffic rule of al-lowing only auto rickshaws with valid road permits to ply in the city.
Members shouted slogans against district administration and termed the decision of giving only 1,026 road permits to three wheelers on 20 routes as pure diktat, responsible for rendering them unemployed and causing in-convenience to commuters.
Many auto rickshaw drivers, however, turned the strike into an opportunity to make a quick buck, exploiting the commuters' situation.
Rakhi Kumari, a state secretariat employee, seemed extremely annoyed about arbitrary fares being demanded by a few auto rickshaw drivers and decided not to go to her office at all, returning back home from old Circuit House chowk on Circular Road.
Commuters complained even auto rickshaws with road permits were charging double or triple the scheduled fare.
Sumit Mishra, who tried to board an auto rickshaw from New Market Chowk to Birsa Chowk, said the three wheeler drivers demanded Rs 20 instead of the actual fare of Rs 5 and he had little choice but to pay up. "This is pure blackmailing," said Mishra.
Many others were seen walking to their destinations or boarding the congested city buses.
Many auto rickshaws without valid road permits also plied on various link roads. About 150 such auto rickshaws were seized by police under different police stations.
"Some of the auto rickshaw drivers even tried to disrupt the plying of city buses on Circular Road but were detained by Lalpur police and released in the evening," said traffic DSP R N Singh.