#OurCityOurAction - #Cityzen Initiative : Do you care for your city?
#OurCityOurAction Day 1
Date: 26.12.2013
Time: 1:20 PM
I travel to Silk Board almost every other day via bus and then take an auto to Koramangala. There are at least 4-5 autos parked below the flyover almost all the time. And, I've to haggle with half of the auto drivers (they demand INR 40-50 for an INR 30 fare distance), before a fair-minded driver decides to charge meter fare.
But today was not most of those days. Today, at 1:20 PM I decided to do something about it. There were seven them and I went ahead and asked each of them. Four of them refused to go by the meter and three agreed. I specifically told these autowallahs that I'll lodge a complaint with the traffic police; to which they replied, "Jaao. Kar do." ("Go. Do it.") with a smirk.
Immediately, I noted down the number of the autos who wanted to charge the excess fare and not put the meter on. I went to the Traffic cops stationed at the Silk Board signal and told them about the situation.
One of the policemen came me towards the line of autos and seeing him, the autos speeded off. One of them stayed. Anyway, I had noted all the numbers.
The one who did not escape was asked to put the meter on and take me to my destination. But, surprisingly, the guy refused even the traffic policeman.
The policeman swung into action and grabbed his keys and asked for his D/L. He did not have it. His auto was seized.
Then the cops, all three of them (Sorry, didn't note the names) asked me for the License Plate numbers I had made a note of. and made a challan (Fine of INR 300, for refusal to use meter + asking for excess fare) for all the three autos, in front of me. And, it was all done swiftly, within a time span of 10 minutes.
I'd like to thank the Bangalore Traffic Police for the superb response and especially, the three policemen (picture of one of them is attached).
I'd plead all Bangaloreans to not agree to Autowallahs who ask for extra fare. Just note down their number and take a pic, if possible and then report it to the nearest Traffic policeman. Only when all the citizens co-operate, will we be able to get rid of this menace.
#OurCityOurAction Day 2
Date: 26.12.2013
Time: 1:20 PM
Different day. Similar story.
As soon as I got down from the bus at Silk Board, I saw a truck which had Steel rods dangling from its rear end, quite dangerously. I took a picture and then went ahead and asked the driver why he had not taken precautions to avoid a potential mishap. His reply was, "Arre dangerous hai toh kya karega. Police pakadta hai toh fine de deta hai 100 rupiya. Udhar piche gaadi ko distance pe rokna" (Yeah, it's dangerous. What to do!! When Police catches us, we pay the INR 100 fine and move on. The vehicles behind should be responsible for stopping at some distance behind it.")
I was stunned by the negligence and his lack of respect for human life. The Vehicle number was not clear in my cellphone, due to the sunlight. I request Bangalore Traffic Police to take action as the number plate is now visible in the picture. - KA40 3677
Moving on to the same spot and the autowallahs. Again, two of them refused to go by meter and I very gently implored from them the reason for the same.
Reason: "Holiday Season" I don't know how that affects anything.
Again, I told them that I'd take the picture and put in a complaint, to which I got the same response, "Kar do." (Do it.)
The driver with number plate KA02 AA2976 issued me a mild threat when I was taking the picture, but no big deal about that.
I took the pictures and with that I went to the Traffic Policeman In-charge Mr. K Giriyappa, who promptly registered my complaints. By this time, most autos had realized what was happening and had left the place.
Mr. Giriyappa also knew about the news from yesterday. Good to know that this information was related to the policeman. This will help as the incentive to do good.
I am very thankful to the folks on social media who have helped spread the word about my post from yesterday. It has travelled far and wide and is serving its purpose quite well.
I am going to make this a frequent duty of mine. Hope many more of you can too.
YourStory is happy to support initiatives like #Cityzen #OurCityOurAction, which aims to bring about change in society through story telling. We request each one of you to take this up as an initiative and spread the word about this and spread the message of #Cityzen #OurCityOurAction to more and more folks. If you are not in super hurry, just take 5 minutes; take a picture, note down an illegal action and share it with us at [email protected]
