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| KNIGHT WATCH: Watching Christopher Nolan’s Batman films are always a pleasure but the thrill of the first-day first show, which I attended, is something different altogether (When will you watch The Dark Knight Rises? July 20). I think the final movie in Nolan’s take on Gotham’s saviour is also his best. I wish to see it 50 times. |
My sympathies are with Sandip Biswas and his wife Liza (Auto rogues whisk away lady, July 20). They are the latest sufferers of the “auto-cracy” on the city roads.
That autos are a law unto themselves is old news but the harassment the couple had to face crossed all limits. Auto drivers feel they are above the law just by joining a particular union.
I too have suffered at the hands of rogue auto drivers. One evening, I boarded an auto from Jadavpur to Santoshpur. Before the auto started, I told the driver I would be giving him a Rs 10 note because I didn’t have the exact fare. He agreed to give me my change. But when I got down, he refused to give me the change and simply sped away. There was little I could do.
Sagnik Basak, Santoshpur
The way the police selectively arrest lawbreakers is appalling. Autos enjoy police immunity, so they can get away with almost anything, even in front of the cops.
I feel there is no point in only pointing out the “auto-cracy” without also pointing a finger at the policing system, where the fault lies. It is up to us, the citizens, to elect a government with the guts to put things in order.
Shekhar Guha
Autorickshaws are the worst traffic offenders and manage to get away with anything because no one ever dares to pull them up (Share your auto horror story, July 21).
I ride my bike to college and a few months ago, I protested when an auto driver in front of me made a sudden illegal U-turn, inconveniencing all vehicles behind. The auto driver stood his ground in the middle of the road, abused me and had the audacity to break my bike’s indicator lights.
I feel it’s up to the police to take strict measures against errant auto drivers.
Abhishek Sarkar
I am a woman. I travel by public transport and live in a state ruled by a “strong” woman chief minister. I live in a city that was once hailed as the country’s “safest metropolis”.
But nowadays, hooliganism by taxi and auto drivers has become almost an everyday affair. And what is surprising is the indifference and lackadaisical attitude of the police and the authorities in general.
By letting these people off easily, the message to common people is: don’t mess with auto drivers and be scared of them because they have strong unions.
As a commuter, I would think twice before lodging a complaint against them because a dozen drivers could pounce on me.
Nidhi Dokania
My son and I were returning home from his school in an autorickshaw, which was being driven at breakneck speed.
I repeatedly asked the driver to slow down but he did not pay any heed. After a while, the auto almost collided with a car and turned turtle, throwing us on the pavement.
Why don’t the authorities take action aganist auto drivers, who have become a regular menace? Why are they so scared of the unions? I request the transport minister to take immediate remedial measures.
Iqbal Ahmed, Syed Amir Ali Avenue
It is easy to see why autorickshaw drivers, the biggest rogues on the city streets, are the blue-eyed boys of the political class. No matter which party is in power, the drivers always affiliate themselves to the ruling party and hence, no chief minister or transport minister has the guts to annoy them because it risks losing a large chunk of votes.
The harassment of the Biswas couple on July 19 should be an eye-opener for people of the city. That an auto driver has the nerve to assault a lady in daylight with no one, including the cops, coming to her rescue, is proof that auto drivers are a law unto themselves. And that these people get bail in a jiffy only shows what clout they enjoy.
Is this the paribartan the Trinamul government promised after assuming power?
Sanjay Kapoor
The plight of the Biswas couple is proof that law and order is a mockery in Bengal.
Our politicians are very fond of invoking the names of great persons like Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda but they need to understand that unless stringent measures are taken to uphold law and order, their achievements would come to nought.
Bengal needs action instead of false promises.
Jaya Ghosh, Sarat Banerjee Road
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