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Pay up or stay out.
The Chakradharpur railway division has come up with the new fiat for auto-rickshaws parking outside Tatanagar in what it hopes will put an end to the rule of rogue drivers on the station premises.From now on, autos will have to shell out Rs 5 every time they enter the parking lot to drop and pick up passengers. Earlier, they had to cough up Rs 5, which remained valid for 12 hours.The new rule came into effect from Tuesday. Area railway manager (ARM) of Tatanagar Akhilesh Pandey issued the notification on Monday evening.Station manager of Tatanagar Rajeshwar Choudhary made it clear that the step was taken to check criminal activities in and around the station premises.“The parking lot had become a partying haunt for auto drivers. Many of them, along with their dubious friends, were found to indulge in gambling and drinking sessions in their vehicles. This caused inconvenience to passengers and other parked vehicles. In fact, the Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police have also been asked to be extra vigilant and keep an eye on rogue drivers,” he said.Sources revealed that recently, an auto-rickshaw hit the car of a retired judge in the parking area. The driver was in inebriated state. In the past, passengers had time and again complained against errant auto drivers.

The new move, however, has not gone down well with drivers, some of whom created ruckus outside the station on Monday evening after railway police prevented them from entering the parking area.

A senior functionary of Shikshit Berozgar Tempo Chalak Sangh, S.K. Jha, said the rule was not acceptable to them. “The auto drivers will have no option but to resort to agitation if the rule is not revoked,” said Jha.

Passengers, on the other hand, felt relieved.

“Such a decision was our long-pending demand. Autos were the major reason behind congestion at the parking lot. Now, the drivers will have to pay up every time they enter the parking area, which should act as a deterrent against stationing their vehicles longer than necessary. As a result, private vehicles will get ample space to park,” said Manoj Choubey, a postgraduate student of Jamshedpur Co-operative College.

At present, the parking area can accommodate 200 cars and autos and about 500 two-wheelers. The Chakradharpur railway division took charge of the parking lot about nine months ago after the contract of the private firm expired.

Meanwhile, sources in the railways said officials from Chakradharpur would soon inspect the parking area so that the proposed makeover plan could be implemented at the earliest.