The ODI was indeed a money-spinner for the autorickshaw drivers in the city who surprisingly doubled the fare on Tuesday.
In the morning when the buses where not permitted to ply through Kaloor Road, autorickshaws took advantage of it and increased the price. An auto driver charged ` 80 for travelling five kilometres from Changampuzha park to Kaloor!
The ‘special ODI tariff’ for travelling from Kaloor to South Railway station was `120. Even though all the autorickshaws were installed with electronic fare meter, no one bothered to use it.
People also came up with complaints about unfair charges by the auto men. Sherin, a commuter’ told City Express that she had a fight with an auto driver who demanded exorbitant rate to take her from her residence in Palarivattom to office in Kathrikadavu.
“Normally they charge `40 to reach my office. Even on bus strike, they take an additional `10 or `20. But surprisingly, on Tuesday the fare was unbelievable. The driver demanded `100! We had a fight and in the end he settled for `60,” Sherin said.However, when City Express informed the traffic police higher-ups they promised to take strict action.
But till evening no action was taken and even policemen did not bother to check whether autorickshaws are using fare meters.