Autos at a stand during the strike in Asansol. Picture by Gour Sharma

Asansol, Aug. 28: Over 50 auto operators today kept their three-wheelers off a busy stretch in Asansol and blocked the GT Road for 30 minutes saying the administration should also crack down on bus drivers who carry extra passengers.

The auto drivers, mostly members of a Trinamul-led union, parked four of their three-wheelers on Bhagat Singh crossing around 11.30am and blocked the road for over half an hour. They stopped buses and quarrelled with conductors for carrying more passengers than allowed. Over 150 vehicles were held up.

Auto driver Aloke Chowdhury said police have been turning a blind eye to the buses in which passengers often hung from the gates. “The administration does not take action against them. They target only us. We have been carrying extra passengers for many years but there has not been a single auto accident in Asansol in recent times,” said Chowdhury, who claimed to be a Trinamul supporter.

Another auto driver, Shasanka Mandal, said reducing the number of passengers in an auto would inconvenience people as there are not sufficient three-wheelers in the town.

The police pacified the agitators, saying their plea would be discussed with the administration.

They also did not fine auto drivers for carrying extra passengers. The police and motor vehicles officials had yesterday warned auto drivers in the town against overloading and had said they would be fined if all extra seats were not removed.

But the three-wheelers on some routes were today seen carrying more passengers than allowed.

Asked about yesterday’s decision to launch a crackdown on errant auto drivers today, Asansol traffic inspector Kaushik Das said: “It will be launched soon. Now, we are stressing on creating awareness among the auto operators here.”

He added: “Today we have launched an awareness camp in Kulti and Barakar and told auto operators there not to carry extra passengers. They were told that they would be prosecuted for breaking the rules from now.”

However, sources said the police and motor vehicle officials feared an immediate crackdown on auto drivers would create law-and-order problems in the town.

The lack of the three-wheelers on the Asansol bus stand-Jubilee crossing stretch led to overcrowding in buses on the 8km route.

Students of the Asansol Engineering College on Jubilee More were the most affected.

“I stay near Asansol police lines and take an auto to reach home. In the morning, I got an auto to come to college, but now auto drivers are refusing to ferry passengers. The buses are overcrowded. I couldn’t get in three buses. I don’t know when I will reach home,” a BE first year girl said.

The Trinamul Congress said they did not support the agitation. “We do not support the auto strike today as it caused inconvenience to so many people. But the drivers’ demands are justified. We have told the administration to allow them to carry at least five passengers at a time,” said Raju Ahluwalia, the general-secretary of Asansol Subdivisional Motor Transport Workers Union, to which 2,000 autos are affiliated.