Hundreds of unauthorised auto rickshaws have crawled within the civic limits and are burdening the already-packed roads in the city. With 11,000 to 12,000 auto rickshaws running in the Raipur district, only about 8,000 have been issued permit from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to ply within the city limits, according to statistics provided by RTO. However, hundreds of auto with rural permit can be seen plying unabashedly on city roads.
“Even at places in the heart of the city, I see dozens of auto rickshaws with ‘grameen’ labeled above their number plate,” said Jayesh Agrawal (20), an engineering student. Auto rickshaw drivers in Raipur lack basis sense of traffic. They turn without indication from the middle of the road, he complained.
Sporadic traffic jams, bottlenecks on roads and rising number of accidents are not caused only because of the rising number of vehicles in the city. Vehicles, which are authorised to ply only out of the city limits, have seeped-in the civic radius in large numbers. “There are not as many passengers in the city against the large number of auto rickshaws that we see on roads,” said a traffic officer. This is because of hundreds of auto rickshaws are plying in the city without city permits, he said.
When contacted, additional superintendent of police (traffic) Balram Hirwani admitted that auto rickshaws with permit to ply only on rural areas openly run on city roads. “We had made it mandatory for the auto rickshaw owners to paint either ‘shehari’ or ‘grameen’ behind the vehicles so that spotting unauthorised vehicles becomes easier,” Hirwani said. From next week, we would start a drive against autos with grameen permit that ply in the city, he said.
The lackadaisical attitude of the city traffic police has caused the citizens to fight a daily battle against chaos on roads. The RTO has not even marked the clearly marked city limits for such vehicles. As a general rule, a radius of 15 km from Jaistambh Chowk is being considered as city limits. “We earn more on city roads. Maintenance of auto rickshaws in rural areas is very difficult. I will try to ply my auto within the city till the time I can,” said Nalendra Sahu, auto rickshaw driver with rural permit who operates near Pandri.