VIJAYAWADA: Commissioner of police A B Venkateswara Rao has turned down the request of auto drivers to exempt them from e-challaning for traffic violations.
At a meeting with autodrivers at his chambers here on Tuesday, the police commissioner told them that if they followed traffic rules, they did not have to worry about policemen. He told them that as Vijayawada police were facing a gargantuan problem of streamlining the traffic, auto drivers had to be very disciplined in driving their vehicles.
The police commissioner made no bones of collection of fines from anyone, including auto drivers, in accordance with the relevant government order if they violated traffic rules. He said as auto drivers had a responsibility of taking their fare to their destination safely and hence they had to follow traffic rules.
Rao said that the police would crack down on those who were indulging in ‘dangerous drive’, parking vehicles in bus bays, violating one-way traffic rules and jumping red signals at inter-sections. If any auto driver felt that e-challan had been issued despite following traffic rules he could always approach DCP (Administration).
The CP said that the pre-paid auto stand at the Pandit Nehru Bus Station (CP) and the Vijayawada Railway Station would further be made passenger-friendly. Fares would be decided by the deputy transport commissioner and the list would be displayed at both the places so that the passengers were not cheated. Autos and auto-drivers would be issued smart cards in due course of time, he said and added that this would effectively prevent outside autos and auto-drivers from entering the city.