Calcutta, May 23 :    Calcutta, May 23:  In January, 12-year-old Ashis was run over by a speeding auto-rickshaw on Prince Anwar Shah Road. The errant auto driver, Sanat Naskar, unlicenced, was plying on the wrong route. He was arrested and later gave an undertaking in court that he would never drive an auto again. A week later, Naskar was back in the driver's seat on the Tollygunge-Garia route, once again without a licence. Following complaints about unauthorised autos, the government has directed the Calcutta Police and the Public Vehicles Department (PVD) to initiate a drive against errant drivers and unlicensed three-wheelers. Come June 1 and autos that do not have a route number and map pasted on their windscreens will be towed away by the traffic police. The PVD has decided to allot zones for autos plying in the city. 'They will now ply through lanes that are parallel to the main road. We have earmarked 10 such zones. The vehicles will not be allowed to clog the thoroughfare,' said PVD director Prashanth. The department has also decided not to issue any more licences to auto drivers. From 600 to 700 autos in 1990, the vehicle count has reached over 15,000 in 2002. At least 7,000 of these vehicles do not have a permit, neither do their drivers possess a licence. 'This is worrying us. Unauthorised autos are a bane for vehicular movement in the city. The drivers are reckless and cause accidents. We are planning a major drive against such operators,' said special additional commissioner of police, traffic, Sandhi Mukherjee, on Monday. On Sunday, Rinku Haldar, 7, was killed by a speeding auto on Beleghata Main Road. The driver managed to escape with the help of his colleagues. At a meeting on Wednesday, chaired by state transport minister Subhas Chakraborty, it was decided that action would be taken against touts and PVD personnel who help auto drivers from the districts obtain licences and permits to drive in the city. The police discovered that around 2,000 autos in Calcutta ply on permits and licences obtained from the Barasat motor vehicles department or from South 24-Parganas. The police have already identified several areas, including Lenin Sarani, Park Circus, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, Ultadanga, Hazra, Tollygunge, Rashbehari Avenue and Pratapaditya Road as accident-prone. 'We will conduct raids in these areas. The transport department is helping us,' said a senior officer. The police have also found that most auto drivers enjoy political patronage. Leaders obstruct prosecution and secure the release of the errant drivers. 'We have instructed our men to take action if an auto driver commits an offence,' Mukherjee added.