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Auto Court’ ensures hassle-free travel in Kerala district

The men on wheels at a small town in Kerala's northern district of Kannur are out to change that perception. They have set up an Auto Court to ensure a hassle-free journey to the passengers.

The passengers can take their complaints against the drivers to the court. If they are found genuine, the court punishes the errant driver. The court is an offshoot of the Auto Drivers Coordination Committee set up to protect the interest of the passengers as well as the auto drivers.

The committee consisting of trade unions affiliated to both the ruling and opposition parties had been engaged in settling the disputes between the drivers and passengers for the last two years.

The ‘Auto Court’ has no judicial powers. Yet its verdicts are accepted by both the auto drivers as well as the passengers. The result is a steep fall in the number of complaints involving auto rickshaws, except those concerning accidents.

“We were flooded with complaints about service and fares before the court started functioning. Now there are hardly any such complaints", says K.V. Chandran, an office-bearer of the Auto Drivers Coordination Committee.

The Auto Court is functioning like normal courts, hearing both sides and pronouncing punishment according to the degree of the ‘crime’. It meets every Saturday. The sittings are led by the office bearers of the committee.

Suspension from the operating service is the main punishment for minor crimes like overcharging and refusal to take the passengers to their desired destination. Drunken driving invites a month's suspension. Misbehaviour is punished with a heavy fine and licence confiscation.

The self-regulatory mechanism has got the support of 1,500 auto drivers operating in the Payyannur Municipal area. Each driver is allotted an identity card and a number, which are recognised by police and the Motor Vehicles Department.

The auto drivers display the card on their vehicle to enable the passengers to identify the ‘black sheep’. The system has eased the burden on police. Officials at the Payyannur station said cases involving auto drivers had declined drastically since the court started functioning.

The passengers are also happy with the system as they get instant justice from the Auto Court. Earlier they had to go through the police and hire advocates to plead their case in the court. The passengers themselves can argue their cases in the Auto Court.

The Auto Court at Payyannur adds to honest track record that the auto drivers have been maintaining in the northern districts of the state, especially Calicut. The drivers in Calicut are specially known for their passenger friendliness, honesty and fairness.


source:http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2007/December/subcontinent_December1009.xml&section=subcontinent&col=

This post was written by: beemagnet77

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