For the second day on Tuesday, commuters in the western suburbs faced hardship after a small group of rogue auto rickshaw drivers, irked over the RTO campaign against faulty meters, violently coerced several auto drivers to not ply.
Stone-pelting on autos plying despite the unofficial strike was reported in suburban Malad and Kandivli. The recognised auto union leaders say they do not back the demands of the rogue elements and have asked authorities to deal with them strictly.
Deputy Regional Transport Officer Bharat Kalaskar of Andheri RTO, said the process of prosecuting the offenders will go ahead. "They (rogue drivers) cannot pressurise us," he said.
Meanwhile, activists of India Against Corruption have taken up the cause of harried auto commuters. Praful Vora, Volunteer of IAC, said Mumbaikars have been cheated by auto rickshaws running on the streets with faulty meters which do not reflect the correct fare.
"The conversion charts are often fraudulent and show higher rates. The meters reflect higher consumption and so consequently higher rates. The rickshaws often do not have running lights and are badly maintained yet they manage to get permit to run on the streets causing excess vibration and noise. "The rickshaw drivers are often found refusing customers. All this obviously points to corruption at various stages," he said.
The IAC-Mumbai volunteers support the authorities who are investigating the corruption of the RTO and the rickshaw owners, he said. "Citizens across the city are affected badly by this uncalled for strike and corrupt practices of some of the rickshaw owners and unions. The citizens will assert their strength," he said.
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