Since I have to travel on a daily basis to office and back, it is but natural I will be travelling often in auto rickshaws (a common experience in suburban Mumbai). It has been shocking to learn that the auto rickshaw fares have fallen by about 25 to 30% due to the checking of tampered meters. The meter fares over the years have consistently come to an amount of 25 to 30% over and above the actual fares so as to fool daily travellers. That thousands of rickshaw drivers have been cheating just shows how rampant corruption is in our blood and in the system and that Anna's drive is just an Anti-Congress propaganda.
Interestingly, what the auto rickshaw drivers are fighting for is the Right to Cheat. They have called for a strike as RTO officials are catching them red-handed with tampered meters. They have earlier gone on strike when the RTO tried to force them to use electronic meters which couldn't be tampered. Surprisingly, the government has given in to their demands of a fare hike so as to legitimise their increased earnings. What if after this hike, these autorickshaw drivers still tamper their meters? What about the poor and middle-class people who feel the pinch due to this tampering?
Whatever be the grievances of the common man, politicians shouldn't turn this into an anti-North Indian issue for gaining cheap votes and beating up any rickshaw drivers. If you feel someone is cheating report him to the authorities. All we can do now is hope that things change for the better.
Interestingly, what the auto rickshaw drivers are fighting for is the Right to Cheat. They have called for a strike as RTO officials are catching them red-handed with tampered meters. They have earlier gone on strike when the RTO tried to force them to use electronic meters which couldn't be tampered. Surprisingly, the government has given in to their demands of a fare hike so as to legitimise their increased earnings. What if after this hike, these autorickshaw drivers still tamper their meters? What about the poor and middle-class people who feel the pinch due to this tampering?
Whatever be the grievances of the common man, politicians shouldn't turn this into an anti-North Indian issue for gaining cheap votes and beating up any rickshaw drivers. If you feel someone is cheating report him to the authorities. All we can do now is hope that things change for the better.
