Police have started assigning dedicated stands to autorickshaws to prevent haphazard parking and sudden stops that the three-wheeler drivers indulge in, leading to snarls on the city thoroughfares.

The implementation of the plan has begun at Patna Junction — described by commuters as the “hell” for traffic in the capital because of frequent snarls caused by autorickshaws parked in an unsystematic manner. The project is scheduled to start this month.

Patna senior superintendent of police Amrit Raj told The Telegraph: “We wanted to designate routes for autorickshaws in the city. We have provided specific stands to the autorickshaws so that the drivers don’t park their vehicles anywhere on the road.” He added: “At present, the autorickshaw drivers in Patna don’t follow any specific route. We have a plan to fix specific routes for them. We would also involve different autorickshaw unions, the district administration and the commissioner’s office.”

Explaining reasons for the move, the SSP said: “Autorickshaws cause traffic snarls by stopping anywhere they please to pick passengers. This is also dangerous and leads to accidents.” Another senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said commuters need to co-operate for the plan to be a success. “Autorickshaw drivers stop just anywhere to pick passengers. The worst affected place is Patna Junction roundabout. Other places like Kargil Chowk, Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple in the Boring Canal Road area, Kurji Mor and Boring Road roundabout are also favourite haunts of autorickshaws. Many of them also wait for passengers near P&M Mall (in Patliputra). As a result, there are frequent snarls,” he said.

The officer added: “Proper autorickshaw stands would address the problem. The drivers as well as passengers would have to co-operate for the plan to be a success. Once the stands are in place, commuters should go there instead of stopping the three-wheelers anywhere.”

Besides designated stands, the project of providing unique numbers to autorickshaw that began earlier this month is progressing at a good pace. The SSP said 40 per cent of the work was complete.

“The police are providing unique numbers to autorickshaws and creating a record of it in the police stations. We shall review the progress soon,” said Raj.

He added: “It will discipline the autorickshaw drivers and keep the law-and-order condition in check.”

There are around 10,000 autorickshaws on the city streets.