W Asia war carves up Kol auto routes, hikes cost of daily travel

Kolkata: Daily commuters across Kolkata and its southern and eastern fringes are paying up to three times their usual fares as auto operators have started abruptly truncating routes to cope with fuel shortages linked to the ongoing West Asia crisis.What was once a straightforward, single-ride commute has now turned into a patchwork of short hops, with passengers being forced to change autos multiple times to reach their destinations. "I queued up in the morning on Tuesday, but the pump was dry. I finally managed to refuel just 20 litres in the evening. The entire day I didn't earn a rupee," said Aloke Das, an auto operator on the Garia–Baruipur route. "We have no option but to shorten routes to conserve fuel."The impact is being felt sharply on key intra-city and suburban routes. On the Kadapara–Machua stretch, where the fare used to be Rs 20, operators have split the route into three segments — Suktara Cinema to Sishu Hospital (or Rail Quarters), Sishu Hospital to Rajabazar, and Rajabazar to Machua. Each segment now costs Rs 15, pushing the total fare up to Rs 45.Passengers say the financial strain is immediate and severe. "None of the autos go the full length any more," said Srirajul Sheikh, who travels daily from Machua to deliver stationery near Suktara Cinema. "Since there is no proper bus alternative, I'm forced to change three autos. I end up spending more than double my usual. A big chunk of my earnings is now going into transport."A similar pattern has emerged along the busy Baruipur–Garia corridor via Rajpur and Narendrapur, as well as suburban links like Sonarpur–Garia. These routes, which earlier cost around Rs 20, are now broken into two or three segments, with passengers paying as much as Rs 50 for the same journey.Longer routes have been hit even harder. The Baruipur–Shapoorji (ST12) route — connecting key points like Garia, Ruby, Science City and New Town — has been divided into multiple sections. Commuters who earlier paid Rs 45 are now having to shell out anything between Rs 90 and Rs 110."Even short inner-city routes are feeling the heat. On the Beleghata–Sealdah stre-tch, autos now run in segments between Ragini Cinema, CIT More and Sealdah, pushing fares from Rs 15 to Rs 45," said Aninda Kar, who travels daily from Sealdah to Building More.Auto operators argue that without assured fuel supply, running full-length routes is no longer viable. "If we run the entire stretch and run out of fuel midway, we lose both time and money. Short trips help us survive the day," said an operator at Garia stand. All auto operators said the trade union of Trinamool was against any auto-fare hike during this poll season in Bengal.Commuters say the crisis is exposing the lack of reliable public transport alternatives in city pockets. "With no bus and no regulation on fares, we are at the mercy of autos," said Anamika Bose, a school teacher from Beleghata.