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Fleecing the Commuters Sir, This is in the context of a publication titled 'Consumer Column' of Daily Excelsior dated 5th September wherein the columnist has expressed concern over non cooperation among the departments of Weighs & Measures, the Transport Department and the Traffic Department. He has complained that this lack of cooperation has proved instrumental for fleecing the commuters by three wheeler operators. But he did not give any suggestion to root out the menace of over charging. It has prompted me to attribute the following few lines in this regard. Before arriving at any rational conclusion, it is pertinent to have a look into the working of the entire autorickshaw trade. No doubt, there are three departments whose functions stretch upto three wheelers but it does not mean that they should always join together when they aim to touch a three wheeler. They have their different specific functions in this trade. Transport Department is the sole authority to fix fares of any vehicle in the State. The very fact that the notification has fixed auto fares for Ist kilometer as 8 rupees and 6 rupees for every subsequent kilometer bears testimony to the fact that while issuing the relevant notification, the department was alive to the fact that 3 wheeler is a metre fixed vehicle and had to charge fares according to the metre readings, as is the practice in rest of the country. After this start, the functions of the Weights & Measures Department, they have to caliberate the metre on their test bench, got it fixed at its proper place and ensure the accuracy of metre reading on the road as per mile rate fixed by the Transport Department. It is the duty of this Department to ensure strict compliance of rules regarding fares prescribed for a metre fixed vehicle. For this, Weights & Measures Department has to conduct random checking on the road, challan the defaulting three wheeler operators, realise composition money or to produce the challan in the Court of competent jurisdiction. There is as per rules and practice prevailing in any other State, no legal provision of charging the auto fares by point to point list. Any such list simply serves to defeat the provision of Weights & Measure Act and Permit Conditions of the vehicle. Here lies the root cause of the entire mess. Since it has assumed the status of an trade epidemic, it deserves to be dealt on emergency basis. For this purpose Consumer Association should come forward and request the Divisional Commissioner, who is also the Chairman, Regional Transport Authority, to constitute a Committee comprising of RTO Jammu, Deputy Controller, Weights & Measures, Jammu and a Representative of Traffic Department for joint operation. At least, once a week the Committee should inspect the Autorickshaw operators on the road and the defaulters should be challaned and brought to book. The Committee should send weekly progressive report to the Divisional Commissioner and each of these departments should also conduct its own departmental checking through its agency of Inspectors and also realise composition money, challan the chases in the Court or before the RTO, in the cases of permit violation. This is the only solution to this decade long problem of three wheeler operators. Yours etc... |
