While on one hand, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Uttarakhand is busy organising the three-day winterline carnival in Mussoorie to attract large number of tourists, which has slowed down after June Disaster-2013, on the other hand, auto rickshaw drivers are overcharging the tourists with exorbitant fares.
A tourist, Anuradha Semwal, who has come to attend the carnival, said that autodrivers are charging extra over the excuse of hiked petrol price. She also said that these drivers are very smart as they know who are new to the city and are unaware of local auto charges. The auto fares should be made fixed for all locations so that drivers stop making fool of visitors, she added.
Another tourist, Rakesh, said: “I am new to this place and am not much aware of the city’s local details. Auto drivers are charging each person differently depending on how much luggage are they carrying. There is no fixed rate as all are asking for different amount.” It is difficult to travel in public transport with extra luggage and it has become compulsory to hire an auto. But the amount they charging are not affordable by all visitors, he added.
A local resident, Samar Rawat, said the rate of auto should be fixed as autorickshaw drivers asked different amount. He also said that mostly people hire an auto during emergency but auto drivers take advantage of this and charge extra money. A tourist, Arvind Kapoor, said he and his family came to Doon to celebrate New Year. He said, “I am not aware about the exact amount autodrivers charge in Dehradun, but they all are charging different money as per the number of passengers they have to give a ride to”.