MUMBAI: Nearly 1,400 errant auto drivers were booked for various offences in western suburbs while Rs 11 lakh was recovered in fines from them in past five months, as per latest statistics released by RTO. Commuters however say that the nuisance of drivers refusing to ply, behaving rudely, fleecing and ferrying 4-6 commuters illegally continues unabated in Mumbai.
A senior transport official said that checks against unscrupulous drivers are conducted regularly and will continue during Ganpati festival. “During our pro-active drive and responding to complaints filed by citizens, we apprehended 1,394 unscrupulous drivers and recovered fines of over Rs 11.3 lakh in the past five months. We also suspended 82 autorickshaw permits and 67 driving licences. The illegal autos — those that were deregistered by RTO in past but were back on roads — were completely destroyed using JCB machines,” he pointed out.
The RTOs plan to look into every complaint lodged on tollfree helpline 1800-22-0110 seriously. Commuters however feel that the menace of errant drivers is far from over.
