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Autorickshaw drivers haggle over money, they refuse, they
misbehave, and their meter is always broken. The passengers are
not happy and the media are not happy.
So, apparently, autorickshaw service is a problem. We agree.
Abusing auto drivers, or criticizing them day in,
however, cannot be the solution. If it were, the problem would
have ceased to exist many years ago because the government, the
public and the media have been taking a hostile stand against auto
drivers for as long as one can remember. Leaving auto drivers to
their own devices, as is the present reality, is even more
worrisome. In fact, it is fatal.
The solution lies elsewhere.
Since 2002, we have been working amongst the autorickshaw
drivers generating information and data running into 1,000s of pages.
Our study revealed that both the auto drivers and their passengers
have, for long, been the victims of the corrupt minds of
politicians.
In addition to being a
regulator and enforcement agency, the Transport Department is also
expected to work with auto drivers to ensure that they live upto
their customers expectations. Transport Department has never done
that. It has always wielded the stick but never attempted to form
a relationship with its clients, i.e., auto drivers. Essentially,
it is the politicians who have played havoc with the entire public
transport system of Delhi for their selfish ends.
Since the government is not playing its part with honesty, we,
the people, decided to take direct charge. We started a campaign
on 5th February under which we have devised a multiple-stage
program that will be implemented over a one year period. Fare rise
- a partially accomplished goal - was only the first step in that process. It is our moral duty to
give auto drivers a fair deal before we expect professionalism,
honesty and good conduct from them.
There are dozens of connected issues related to laws and
procedures that need to be dealt with. Once the system part has
been taken care of and the autorickshaw drivers woes have been
removed, the long term exercise of bringing about a cultural
change in them through a series of workshops, training programmes
and special events will be started. Strict enforcement and heavy
penalties by the authorities will be part of the process too.
The campaign has two defined goals:
- People have the right to hassle-free and quality transport
service at a reasonable cost. The campaign will ensure that
they get this.
- Autorickshaw drivers will be empowered to achieve a life
of dignity, financial security and a fair price for their
services.
Essentially, we have rolled up our sleeves and are busy
fighting the disease, instead of just criticising and doing
nothing. Since the campaign is constructive and positive in nature
and stands to benefit everyone except the political players, we
have named it Hum Honge Kaamyaab.
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