Auto strike troubles drivers, citizens alike

It was a frustrating Monday for commuters in the western suburbs when a small group of rogue auto rickshaw drivers violently coerced a substantial number of drivers to not ply.

Agarkar Chowk in Andheri (East), Bandra (East) station area and Kurla (West) station area were some of the most-affected locations.

Deputy commissioner of police, traffic, Nandkumar Chougule said, “Almost 50% of autor ickshaws were off roads.”

The rogue drivers were protesting against the Andheri Regional Transport Office’s recent crackdown on tampered auto rickshaw meters. On Friday evening, in a 12-hour-long crackdown in the western suburbs, out of 150 rickshaws that were inspected officials found tampered meters in 97.

Even as the RTO started a procedure against 40 on Monday, the rogue elements forced a flash strike by assaulting and threatening those ready to ply. Union leaders and auto rickshaw drivers said they received reports of intimidation at Marol, Sakinaka, Asalpha, Kurla (West) and Bandra.

“We have arrested 12 drivers from Oshiwara on charges of rioting,” said Vishwas Nangre Patil, additional commissioner of police, west region.

Commuters complained that the few rickshaws that were plying overcharged them. Naman Maharaja, a Borivli resident who works in BKC, complained that the share autor ickshaws plying from ICICI Bank to Bandra station upped their per person charge to Rs20 from the usual Rs12 on Monday. The other two modes of transport didn’t provide much relief as buses ended up being jam-packed and taxis hardly as many to take over the load.

Auto union leaders said they do not back the demands of the rogue elements and asked the authorities to deal with them strictly. “I visited several spots in Borivli and other western suburbs, and found that there were many drivers willing to ply but they were being threatened by a few to not do so,” said union leader Shashank Rao.

Deputy regional transport officer Bharat Kalaskar from the Andheri RTO, who led the crackdown, said he was in no mood to be lenient with those who fleece commuters. “The process of prosecuting the offenders will go ahead. They cannot pressurise us by striking this way,” he said.

Meanwhile, political parties were trying to gain some mileage even while attempting to help commuters. Ashish Shelar, Bandra corporator and BJP group leader in the BMC, arranged for 50 autor ickshaws whose drivers prominently displayed his party flags on their vehicles. “Seeing how much inconvenience the flash strike was causing commuters, my union made available around 50 autor ickshaws, with BJP flags, in Khar and Bandra,” he said.