Chennai: Commuters in the city will have to put up with fleecing auto drivers for some more time as procurement of GPS-enabled fare meters is all muddled up. Even Friday’s high court order may not help travellers much considering that the transport department has cancelled the tenders it had floated for GPS meter procurement twice in a month.
After September 4, the most recent cancellation was stated to have been on Thursday, that too without any justifiable reason being made public. Though some officials might argue that the two issues are different, drivers contend that streamlining of autorickshaw operations would not happen till the government resolves the meter issue. Stakeholders are led to believe that the next (tender) meeting would be on October 27.
Auto drivers, who reasoned that the GPS-enabled meter was proposed only due to the inefficiency of the existing meter system in regulating tariff collection, questioned as to how a revised tariff would solve the problem if meters are not replaced.
Furthermore, autorickshaw drivers have raised apprehensions over the government’s commitment to implement the GPS meter system even. “Filing its reply in the HC last month, the government had said it would procure meters in two months and fix them in the 72,000 and odd autos (as enumerated during previous tariff revision in August 2013) in the city in six months from then. No concrete step has been taken thus far, “ complained J. Seshasayanam, general secretary, Madras Meter Auto Drivers’ Association, who is the plaintiff in the meter case the govt had replied to last month.
“If the government provides meters for free, why does it insist on drivers paying '60 per month (for the meter)?” Seshasayanam wondered. “What will become of the meters it had got us to fix in 2013? Also, the government is refusing to provide the GPS-enabled meters to the 5,000 and odd drivers who started business after 2013? How will they function?” he asked, accusing the government of going ahead with the tenders without offering clarity to any of the pressing questions. Despite repeated attempts, transport commissionerate officials could not be reached.
