Panvel police crack down on unruly auto drivers, 180 penalised, ₹1.7 lakh fine collected

Thirty-four autorickshaws were seized, and ₹1.7 lakh in fines were collected. Residents are calling for similar action against fare-gouging drivers in Ulwe.

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Following the incident of a woman passenger being robbed of gold and cash worth ₹3.7 lakh by an auto driver, the Panvel traffic police on Tuesday cracked down upon 350 unruly autorickshaw drivers in a joint operation with Panvel city police, Khandeshwar police and Panvel RTO and penal action was taken against 180 rickshaw drivers. Audumbar Patil, senior inspector of Panvel traffic unit said, “Action was taken under the Motor Vehicles Act for violating traffic rules by ferrying passengers without vehicle fitness certificate, expired vehicle insurance, without valid driving licence and not wearing mandatory uniform meant for authorised auto drivers. As many as 34 autorickshaws were seized and ₹1.7 lakh fine was collected.” Sunny Pandey, a resident of Ulwe said, “The drivers in Ulwe are fleecing passengers by demanding exorbitant fare without using meter. Panvel RTO authorities need to curb this menace in Ulwe as well.”