The insensible plying of auto-rickshaws and picking and dropping passengers at the busy squares of the capital city is resulting into major traffic congestions across the city.
So much so that many travelers miss their trains, buses and flights.
“The primary cause of traffic jam is the passenger picking and dropping exercise undertaken by the numerous autos rickshaws. No auto and Vikram should be allowed to stop within 100 meters of any intersection. Proper painted stops should be created for the passenger boarding and de-boarding areas. The highly polluting auto rickshaws need to be penalised,” said Colonel Mohit Nangiya.
He further said, “The protruding metal fixtures outside the autos are injuring pedestrians and damaging adjoining vehicles. The rash driving, lane changing, non functioning of indicators, no registration plates on the errant auto drivers needs to be checked on a regular basis. Polluting vehicles should be impounded and only new generation non polluting vehicles to be permitted. Regional Transport Office and traffic police should carry out sudden checks with stiff penalties on weekly basis.”
Speaking on the issue Traffic SP Ranchi Ajit Peter Dungdung said, “We are planning to segregate parking place at the conventional auto stands. On this issue we are talking with municipal officials. The department has set target to complete the work of making the parking place before December 15. Every auto rickshaw has to park under it if anyone will not comply the rule will be penalised.”
According to the official figure a total of 2,300 auto rickshaw have license to ply on roads but at present four times more than the given numbers of auto rickshaw are plying on the road. The traffic department informed that it will start random checking for these vehicles very soon.
Another city dweller Rajesh Murmu said, “Once upon a time autos were a convenient mode of transport and came in very handy for reaching to interior locations. But over last few years, the auto traffic has become a very big problem. The rising number of autos on the roads is just playing havoc and prevents smooth flow of traffic.”