Baramunda terminus

The state’s biggest bus terminal has a daily footfall of over 30,000. Passengers, most of whom are outsiders, have to brace with the autocracy of auto-rickshaw drivers, who refuse to run on meter. The pre-paid kiosks are of no help as they remain closed throughout the day.

“They are two kiosks but have never seen them open. I have seen such facilities function properly in several cities across the country,” said Jatni resident Niraj Sarangi.

Railway station

The scene here is no different from Baramunda. The two pre-paid kiosks for auto-rickshaws remain closed. This helps auto drivers and other private cabs to fleece passengers.

“Such kiosks across India function, but not here. It’s alarming that the administration allows transport service providers to overcharge us,” said Dibya Jena, who arrived here from Angul.

Pink kiosks

This service was launched to make auto travel easy and safe for women. The service has been a disappointment as the two special kiosks opened at Baramunda and at Jaydev Vihar are mere boxes now.

“The prepaid service is necessary since it keeps a check on auto drivers who fleece passengers. The kiosks lie closed as the administration did not do their bit to spread awareness about the service,” said Patia resident Mamata Sahu.

GRIM reality

To bring in transparency, the administration had fixed fares for autos while opening the kiosks. The fare for the first 2km was Rs 30 and Rs 10 for every subsequent kilometre between 5am and 10pm. However, between 10pm and 5am, commuters had to pay Rs 50 for the first 2km and Rs 10 for every subsequent kilometre. When the scheme was rolled out, 300 autos had registered for the service. With the kiosks not in service, autos continue to fleece passengers. For example, if one goes from Master Canteen to Fire Station during morning hours, a passenger has to shell out at least Rs 150 and the night fare for the same stretch is no less than Rs 300.

“Since there aren’t enough city buses, people are forced to depend on autos. Therefore, passengers are left with no option but to pay what the auto drivers charge,” said Surya Nagar resident Biraja Kishor Mahapatra.

 Authority speaks

We had introduced the service for greater benefit of the people. It did work well in the initial month, but later people didn’t show interest in it. This distracted auto drivers. We plan to reintroduce the service on a bigger scale and back it up with an awareness drive.

Senior official, commerce and transport dept

Text by Sandeep Mishra