Pune News
Pune Railway Station’s Autorickshaw Prepaid Booth Faces Possible Closure Amid Election Code of Conduct
The autorickshaw prepaid booth located at Pune railway station, which was launched in July and is now up for renewal, may face closure due to the prevailing election code of conduct in Maharashtra. This booth was established as part of a collaborative initiative involving the Railways, RTO, Traffic Police, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), and autorickshaw unions, aimed at curbing overcharging by outside autorickshaw drivers. Passengers are worried that if the RTO or Traffic Police do not extend the agreement, they may find themselves back in a situation of being overcharged.
After being closed for nearly four years, the booth was reopened to protect passengers from unfair fare practices. Operators of the booth are urging authorities to extend the agreement, as during the initial 100-day period, the booth facilitated around 13,867 trips, generating ₹22.37 lakh in fares and benefiting 1,226 registered autorickshaw drivers.Keshav Kshirsagar, president of the Baghtoy Rickshaw Union, stated that the union has been managing the booth independently, without police support. Although police assistance was promised to ensure law and order and safeguard passengers, Kshirsagar noted, “Despite the initial assurances, the situation has not improved even after a hundred days.”
He further criticized the administration for its lack of seriousness, which has led to ongoing issues for passengers regarding inflated fares from autorickshaw drivers. “If our request for an extension is not granted soon, we may have to shut the booth down within a couple of days,” he warned. Last week, Amol Zende, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic Pune, indicated that he would review the situation and consider extending the agreement, but no actions have been taken since then. Kshirsagar pointed out that October 22 was the deadline for the extension, and it has now been ten days since traffic authorities committed to making a decision. Stay tuned to know more about it and others only with us.
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