VIJAYAWADA: Vijayawada Commissioner of Police AB Venkateswaa Rao has rejected the request of City Congress president Malladi Vishnu, CPM city secretary Ch Babu Rao and leaders of auto unions that autos that operate from the Railway Station auto stand alone should take passengers to their destinations.
The Police commissioner told them that any autorickshaw could pick up passengers from the Vijayawada railway station and that no one could have monopoly on passengers at the station.
He said that if any auto that does not belong to the Railway Station auto stand brings passengers to the Railway station, the practice now is that it has to leave the railway station area and is not entitled to take any passengers.
The police commissioner felt that no auto stand could dictate terms to others and in addition to this, if autos after taking passengers to the railway stations leave the station immediately it would not only cause traffic problem but would make the auot driver waste fuel unnecessarily since the auto would be going empty.
The police commissioner said autos and auto drivers would be given smart cards to ensure safety to the passengers who hire them.