HYDERABAD: Ever wondered why many auto drivers in Hyderabad do not agree to charge as per the metres and law mandates so? Chances are that the metre does not work or is not calibrated to show the right amount.
However, as Express finds out, the Legal Metrology department which is responsible for recalibration of metres has not been undertaking the task as much as it should.
The department inspected only around 909 autos in the city and booked 373 cases for metre-tampering till October this year. There are over 1.5 lakh registered autos in the city.
Another reason behind the auto drivers not agreeing to charge fares as per the metre is that the digital metres in auto-rickshaws were the last set according to the fuel prices of 2014 though fuel prices have seen a big jump since then.
The minimum fare from then till 2019 continues to be Rs 20 up to 1.6 km and after this point the fare increases by Rs 1.10 for every 100 metres.
“We cannot use the digital metres as they are outdated and faulty. This is why auto drivers demand an approximate price for every ride,” said Ibrahim, general secretary of City Auto-rickshaw Drivers’ Trade Union.
“Auto drivers have stopped turning up at our office for validation of digital metres though we have never slowed down the intensity of conducting inspections,” said an official from Legal Metrology Department when contacted.
According to the Legal Metrology officials, there is no delay in the process of recalibrating the metres. However, the report of annual inspections by the department says it otherwise.
During 2017-18, the department has conducted 3,599 inspections and booked around 913 cases for tampered metres. Likewise, during 2018-19 around 3,351 inspections were carried out with 753 cases booked.