The Railway Police Force (RPF) has booked 53 autorickshaw drivers at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Kurla for violating rules under the Indian Railways Act, 1989.
RPF officials said that they decided to launch a crackdown against errant autorickshaw drivers after several passengers complained about being fleeced by them at the LTT, which is a major railway terminus in the city.
K.K. Ashraf, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Mumbai Division, Central Railway, said the drive was launched on February 9 as part of a larger plan to tackle the menace. Mr. Ashraf said, “Resorting to only punitive measures will not solve the problem. We are holding discussions with the traffic police to find a permanent solution. We will soon come up with a plan.”
The officials said that they had received complaints of autorickshaw drivers haphazardly parking their vehicles on the station’s premises, where parking is not permitted. A senior official said, “Moreover, we received complaints from passengers that autorickshaw drivers approached them after entering the area near the platform.”
Railway officials also said that passengers rarely booked rides at the pre-paid booth at LTT because there was no provision for a pre-paid autorickshaw stand. They said that steps would be taken to set up a stand for pre-paid autos.
According to RPF officials, the 53 errant auto drivers have been booked under various sections of the Indian Railways Act. Most of them have been booked under Section 159, which pertains to drivers or conductors of vehicles disobeying the directions of the railway staff and officers.
Other sections under which drivers have been charged include trespassing on railway premises.
Subhash Gupta, president, Rail Yatri Parishad, said, “LTT and Bandra Terminus are the largest rail terminals in the city. At both stations, passengers are harassed by auto drivers. It is the responsibility of the railways to ensure that rail passengers don’t get fleeced.”