It's Auto-Cracy: Meter Down & Out

The irony cannot be more stark. On the one hand, the government wants to introduce the Metro in Jaipur. And on the other, it cannot even regulate autorickshaws that form the basic mode of public transport in this tourist city.
Two months back, the government came up with a notification saying all autos would henceforth run on meters. It didn't happen that way even on Day One.Probably, the administration loves a good joke once in a while. But this time the joke was on the government, which came out looking foolish and lacking the basic will power required to take even baby-steps towards making Jaipur a world-class city, which one is led to believe is what the city aspires to be.
So, will Jaipur ever become a world-class city? Or at least a city like Mumbai where cabs run on meter and drivers don't take people for a ride, where autos are friendly on the pocket and provide the right solution for most in a hurry to get somewhere in the suburbs? Why should someone be forced to pay anything between Rs 100 and Rs 150 for a 4-km ride in Jaipur? Why should there be no pre-paid autos available for tourists at the railway station? Mumbai has it, Delhi has it, and so has Kolkata. So, why not Jaipur, which wants to leapfrog to the next stage and become world-class?
It's possible. But only if the administration means business. A government that hasn't yet woken up to the fact that autos are often ones first introduction to the city (and in the case of Jaipur a very bad one), needs to shake off its slumber and do something. And so far it seems to be dozing comfortably under the quilt of nonchalance.
When Linda Woods, a British national, reached Jaipur railway station she saw a fleet of auto-rickshaws parked outside the station. "But as soon as I approached, they started asking for sums that sounded a little too high to me. And after a few days I realised that I was being made to pay different amounts for the same routes. Haggling with auto drivers is an awful experience."
A senior official said there were a few issues between the auto rickshaw drivers and passengers which need to be resolved. "Passengers are themselves not ready to pay by the meter as they fear the meters would be faulty. The drivers are in turn blaming the department. We are trying to solve the issues," said the official.
"There is no parallel transport system and cycle rickshaws are no option at all for long distances. Worse, there is no pre-paid option available. Rickshaw drivers almost always cheat the tourists," said Sandra Green, a tourist from the US. She added that the auto rickshaws in Delhi and Mumbai run on meters and the commuters can trust them but it is not the scene in Jaipur.
Sources said the availability of rate charts is the main issue which needs to be taken care of to ensure success of the initiative. Meanwhile, a reality check shows that despite the directives, the drivers have not fixed their meters and neither are their mandatory uniforms ready. "The government should have issued a notification after proper co-ordination with us. We are not to be blamed," said Haneef Mohammed, an auto driver.
SP (traffic) Vijendra Jhala told TOI that he discussed with the transport commissioner about the strategy to implement the directives. He also said that the check was launched at various points in the city but it was postponed on the directives of the transport department. He said that the transport department officials would again intimate the traffic department when to re-launch checks to implement the ruling.
Earlier, the traffic department had started checks, along with transport department, and traffic cops were deployed at identified traffic points to check the functioning of meters in auto rickshaws, the uniform of drivers and the number of passengers travelling.
Yet another ruling, which says only two commuters would be seated in an auto rickshaw at a time, is a cause of worry for both drivers and commuters. However, autowallahs alleged that if a vehicle is caught by traffic cops carrying more than two passengers, the driver is penalised. Radhey Shyam, an auto driver, said such rulings are meant to harass drivers. The traffic cops get an opportunity to extort money from them in the name of flouting norms. "When commuters are not ready to go by the rulings, how could we bring it into effect?" he argued.
But as departments dither and everyone finds one excuse or the others, time is fast running out. In another 10 months' time, the Commonwealth Games crowd will land in Jaipur. Is this the face the city wants to project to the world?