Autorickshaw drivers have planned to go on an indefinite strike from next week if the administrative decision to change routes around Patna Junction railway station was not altered.

All autorickshaw drivers — either on way or from Boring Road and Bailey Road — have been asked to take a narrow lane off Buddha Marg to pick and drop passengers at the station area to keep the Frazer Road till Dakbungalow roundabout free of snarls.

With the autorickshaws not being allowed to take the Dakbungalow roundabout, things had gone haywire on Monday when several drivers stopped work. “Many auto drivers had gone on a flash strike as protest on Monday, causing a lot of problems for us. Now, they are threatening to go on an indefinite strike. The drivers operate on their own will and the administration does not penalise them, too,” said Yashwant Kumar, a commuter.

However, Raj Kumar Jha, the general secretary of the Bihar State Autorickshaw Drivers’ Association and Patna District Autorickshaw Drivers’ Association claimed that their move was justified. “We have given a week’s deadline to the district administration to revert their decision. If not, we will be forced to go on a strike. Why did not the district administration even think to consult the union before suddenly giving a direction like this? Autorickshaws moving to the station via the narrow road near the Buddha Marg is a big problem. On Monday, there was a huge jam in the area and many autos got stuck for hours. Almost seven to eight years ago, there was a meeting before any announcement of route change and we were invited to it,” Jha said.

On the other hand, police said that no major changes had been enforced.

“When I was the Patna city SP, the system was in its nascent stage. In fact, it started too and there was hardly any problem. It is not a new system but something that was already in place. It has been done with proper planning, as there have been many cases when passengers missed trains because of autos jamming the Dakbungalow road. If they are threatening a strike this is completely unlawful at the cost of harassment of commuters,” Patna SSP Manu Maharaj said.

Some commuters agreed to the union’s claims also. “Strike is not a solution as it will create more problems for us. On Monday, moving along the Buddha Marg towards the station was just hell. The road is so narrow and heavily encroached on either side, I had to wait in the vehicle for at least 45 minutes to reach the station,” said Ravi Ranjan, who works in a bank.

Another commuter came up with a suggestion. “Auto stands can be created in the New Market area, which has got a lot of empty space, or at Bakri Market, which lies just near the New Market or even the underneath the Mithapur flyover,” said Sarvesh, another commuter.