Hyderabad: Autos block road at Rathifile

Hyderabad: The road near the Rathifile bus stop is crowded most of the times, and autorickshaws which are parked haphazardly on the road only add to the mess. Many drivers in the spot to pick up passengers to Parsigutta, Namalagundu, Warasiguda and Malkajgiri in shared autorickshaws.

Space was earmarked for the vehicles and barricades set up, but many drivers park their autorickshaws just outside the enclosure. “Whenever they see a person is walking with a bag in his hand or with his family, these drivers chase them for a fare. They block the road, which affects traffic,” said Mr Ashok Kumar, an MBA student.

Autorickshaw driver M. Lingaswamy said, “After the barricade was put up, we follow a queue and there is no way that anybody can come forward for a customer. But drivers not belonging to our ‘adda’ block the traffic by parking their vehicle outside the barricade.”

“We keep informing the police about them and they book cases against violators. Police patrol has also improved, but it will take more time to regulate them,” said  P. Rajaiah, another autorickshaw driver. A couple of drivers are purposely creating nuisance, said traffic inspector Ram Swamy.

He added, “Every day we book 4-5 drivers for not obeying the traffic rules, and we detain their autorickshaw for a day. The reason for barricading the spot was to regulate the drivers. Most of them have fallen in line but a few are still flouting rules and we are looking out for them. The vehicles of repeat offenders will be seized.”