Title - Drive against overcharging autorickshaws

The City Police have intensified the drive against overcharging autorickshaw drivers. This development became came to the fore after four autorickshaw drivers assaulted a woman passenger and her family when she protested against excess charging.

ACTION INITIATED
During the last two weeks, action was initiated against 898 autorickshaws and Rs. 95,000 was collected as fines from overcharging drivers.There were around 13,000 unauthorised autorickshaws against the legally permitted 6,000 operating in the city.As part of the effort to check misuse of autorickshaw service, the police are actively promoting pre-paid service.

PRE-PAID COUNTER

The City Police have requested the Southern Railway authorities to repair the pre-paid counter at the South railway station.The attempt by the police to repair the counter at north railway station had to be stopped on the instructions of the railway authorities, the police said.The Railways needs to allot space for starting pre-paid counters on eastern entries of both the railway stations.K. Padmakumar, Inspector General of Police, Ernakulam Range, said that pre-paid counters at Infopark, District Collectorate, Fort Kochi and KSRTC bus terminal would begin soon.

SCHOOL VEHICLES
The City Police have deployed officers in main bus stops during morning and evening hours to ensure that buses stop there and take in school students.Since the school reopening, action has been initiated against 603 service buses in the city.Special drive is also on to check the fitness of vehicles used to transporting school students and to ensure that drivers of these vehicles have at least 10 years experience.

SUNFILTER
M.R. Ajith Kumar, City Police Commissioner, has given instructions that all black sunfilms stuck on windscreens of cars need to be removed at the earliest in accordance with the Supreme Court order in this effect.Legal action would be initiated against vehicles found continuing to use opaque sun filters in violation of this norm, he said.