KOCHI: Despite the City Police tightening control over autorickshaw drivers who extort money from passengers, the ones at railway stations here still continue to fleece people.“The autorickshaw drivers are still extorting passengers. Last week, an auto driver had demanded Rs 200 from a foreign tourist for taking him to a hotel in the South,” said Girija, a passenger. However, the police officers say complaints in this regard have reduced since the past one month. “We have become more vigilant and the complaints have decreased. And, in case of complaints, we take strict action,” a civil police officer said. A month ago, the Assistant Police Commissioner had brought in a regulation which stipulated that all auto rickshaw drivers carry passengers only after entering the railway station premises. This, according to him, would enable regulation of auto drivers who were otherwise likely to cheat tourists and passengers.“We have ordered all autorickshaws at the station to function as pre-paid autos. This is applicable to those who run with the city permits and those who have applied for it. The rest have been barred from running near the station. It is now up to the passengers to follow the rules. On most occasions, the passengers are not interested in following the queue to purchase a prepaid ticket. They themselves are found taking autos which hover outside the station without permit,” ASI Mohammed Rafique said.
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