Joint checks of autos by RTO, police

Chennai: With the deadline for calibration of auto meters ending on Friday, RTO officials and traffic police were on their toes to nab errant auto drivers. Special teams have also been formed to look into violation at various places in the city.

The RTO officials and traffic police are conducting joint checks at various points in the city. An official with the transport office in central, said, “On Saturday morning, we caught 10 autos with meter violations in the Egmore area. The checks are being intensified. We have teams conducting these checks in the morning between 7.30 and 9.30 and later in the evening, from 5 to 7.”

The traffic police have teamed up with RTO officials to carry out the check, he added.

There are also complaints coming from passengers about auto drivers refusing to use meters. Didin Mathew a resident of Kotturpuram says, “I was trying to catch an auto to Anna Salai yesterday, but none of the autos was ready to switch on the meter. It was only when I told one of them that I would complain to the officials that he grudgingly switched on the meter. They refuse to use meters for distances within 2 km, saying it will be a loss for them.”

M.S. Rajendran, state general secretary, Tamil Nadu auto drivers association, says, “Many autos have been seized by RTOs. The government must convene a committee that has consumers, police and auto drivers as members.

The committee could look into our grievances, especially on the fares, with changing petrol prices. We think that the government would not show interest in our welfare unless such a committee is put in place.”