Prepaid Auto Service launched in Cuttack

CUTTACK: Prepaid autorickshaw service was launched in the Millennium City on Sunday. The operations commenced from the Railway Station here.Police Commissioner BK Sharma and Divisional Railway Manager Sanjeev Garg inaugurated two booths at Gate No. 1 and 2 and flagged off the service. The launch of the service was first scheduled for August 15 but had to be postponed on account of infrastructure bottlenecks.Around 200 autorickshaws have been registered with the prepaid service. There would be 80 autos available at Gate No. 1 and 120 at the crowded Gate No. 2.They would be plying on all routes, covering the entire City from the railway station, but on special rates fixed for them. The City has been divided into 22 zones and fare decided likewise. The minimum fare has been fixed at Rs 30 to cover the Ring Zone at a distance of 2 km. The Zone includes the areas within 2-km range like Ranihat Canal Road, Pilgrim Road, Rehman Chhak and OMP Square.The fare slabs will rise as per the distance. For 10 km distance, the rate slab has been fixed at Rs 55 while the fare for the longest distance to the far-end of the CDA Markatnagar touching sectors 11, 12 and 13 would be Rs 120.The service will have neither luggage nor night charges and be uniform throughout the day. All the autorickshaws registered with the service would have special stickers while the drivers have been provided with uniforms and identity cards. The personnel for manning the two booths have been provided by the GRP and Commissionerate Traffic Police.With rising complaints of harassment of passengers and commuters getting down at the railway station and the Badambadi bus stand, the Orissa High Court earlier this year had directed the Commissionerate Police to introduce prepaid autorickshaw service. The Badambadi bus stand would follow suit soon, Commissionerate Police sources said.