Help is at hand

"I want the image of the city, tarnished by most auto drivers, to be bettered. No one deserves to be so harassed and left hapless", says C. Lakshminarain, president, Madras Auto Passengers' Association, and secretary, Accident Victims' Association,in an interview to MALATHI RANGARAJAN.

ASK A regular office-goer about the most dreaded part of his daily routine, and nine out of 10 times he is bound to say it is his encounter with auto drivers. The burgeoning two wheelers and cars notwithstanding, there are thousands in the city who depend on MTC buses and autorickshaws.

Tampered meters, erratic driving that makes the experience of sitting inside an auto a nightmare, polluting smoke from the autorickshaw you are in and from those surrounding you, and the insolence and arrogance of most drivers, who are exceptionally cantankerous and belligerent, brook no argument from your side regarding faulty meter or reckless driving, (it is futile to try reason with them, so you have to succumb to their demand) all these together with the gruelling summer heat can turn one into a sweating, exhausted pulp even before he enters the office. For the bus commuter the agony could be more, but for an auto passenger it is not much less.

Then whom does one turn to for respite and redressal? "Come to us", says C. Lakshminarain, president, Madras Auto Passengers Association (MAPA). If the auto drivers have their unions, the public can rest assured that MAPA is on their side. A lawyer by profession, Lakshminarain is a committed social worker too. The three-day auto drivers' strike in 1991, set him thinking and he began the association for auto passengers. (MAPA has 250 members now). It was not only the residents of the city that Lakshminarain was thinking of then. He was also had in mind the plight of the innumerable people who alight at the Central and Egmore stations - gullible targets of the fleecing, ruthless autowalas. "I wanted the image of the city, tarnished by most drivers, to be bettered. No one, whether he is new to the city or a dweller here, deserves to be so harassed and left hapless," feels Lakshminarain.

"Our association has made calculations to the last paise. If an honest driver with an untampered meter sweats it out from dawn to dusk, he can easily make around Rs. 350 a day," he says.

The fact is, most drivers do not want to work the whole day. After four or five destinations, with enough money from incorrect meters they while away their time at the auto stands, which automatically turn into "breeding grounds for another social menace, viz., eve-teasing", says the MAPA president.

Threats from many a quarter have become a part of life for this avid social activist. When people are willing to pay what is his problem, they ask. "But I want the public to wake up and fight this exploitation. They must cooperate and help us to help them", is his appeal. Also why should you take unwarranted insults from auto drivers for no fault of yours, he asks. A pertinent query.

There are about 41,000 autos in the city and all of them have to survive. As the number of autos in other cities is much less, auto drivers there can afford to be honest, was an argument that came to him from their side recently. "Then does not the theory of supply and demand become ridiculous? When there are so many autorickshaws available, is it not all the more logical the meters should be right and reasonable?", laughs Lakshminarain and adds, "Can the electricity meter or the water meter at homes be tampered with? How is it that auto meter tampering alone is tolerated?"

Tamper-proof electronic meters are now available, but they have been installed in only about 20 autos. Fitting this meter should be made compulsory and MAPA is fighting for it. The association is functioning against great odds like the police-politician-auto nexus but it refuses to give up.

"We are not enemies of auto drivers. In fact, every year our association honours auto drivers who have made travelling in their vehicles a pleasurable experience and those who have returned valuables left behind in the autos to the legitimate owners," says the MAPA president.

So next time you encounter a problem with the driver of an autorickshaw on any score write to the MAPA at new no. 25 (old no. 11) Kandappa Achari Street, Purasawalkkam, Chennai - 600 007, or contact Ph: 536 5733; 642 3145. They in turn will forward it to the Joint Traffic Commissioner and Transport Commissioner and ensure that definite punitive steps are taken. "We receive about 40 letters a month", says Lakshminarain.

Besides being the president of MAPA, this social activist is secretary of the Accident Victims' Association which is doing its mite for an invaluable cause.

The victims, according to them, are not just those who are wounded or killed in an accident. "The family members left behind are also the victims. One has to see it to understand the agony of the family that so suddenly loses a member. The wife would have just seen her husband off. Imagine her state when in an hour's time a policeman knocks at the door and asks her to come with him and identify the body", Lakshminarain speaks with concern.

But it is at this point of tragedy that a heartless group of strangers who are contemptuously referred to as "ambulance chasers", enter the scene. They are touts who get information about an accident as soon as it occurs, and like vultures, are at the spot in no time. The dazed wife, clinging children and vulnerable elders - the scenario is ideal for touts. They pretend to offer help and even give a few hundreds as bait. They pay the court fee and file a claim. Even educated victims hardly resist the help offered. These touts then allow the case to drag on unnecessarily to show that they have been working on it relentlessly and finally when the claim is settled, they take nearly 30 per cent of it.

"Never succumb to such gimmicks" is Lakshminarain's sincere advice. A case that is allowed to drag on for even five years, can be disposed of in six months time and the compensation got without delay. The Accident Victims Association comes forward to help the traumatised victims in every way possible. (The contact address is the same as given above). With Dr. B. Ramamurthi, neuro-surgeon as president, Sivasankari and C. Natesan as vice presidents and eminent committee members, the association is into its sixth year now.

"The court fee for a file claim is very nominal. One doesn't need middlemen for any of the court matters. Things can move smoothly and quickly without tension", assures Lakshminarain.

The association holds seminars and meets other such associations such as AASI, Lions Clubs, The Mylapore Academy and St. John's Ambulance Association, to propagate Road Safety Rules. "In fact we want Road Safety education to be made part of the curriculum in schools", he goes on.

He cites lack of enforcement of road rules and indifference of the police in many cases as reasons for many accidents that are avoidable. "Even amid busy traffic, one sees hundreds of pedestrians crossing the road as they please. The place opposite Central station is an example. The policeman here turns a Nelson's eye to the potential danger and ironically right under the police shelter there is a board that states that those who do not use the subway will be punished". The buses that are a law unto themselves and vehicles that do not stop at the stopline are other causes for accidents.

But the pedestrians cannot be blamed entirely for avoiding the subways when most of them these days are haunted by hawkers and anti-social elements.

Lakshminarain also wants the Government to insist on the use of helmets for two-wheeler riders. "Dr. Ramamurthy says that he sheds tears every time he hears of a death due to head injury. All of us do. Hands and legs are also important, but isn't the head vital", he asks. Any reason given for not wearing the helmet is unacceptable to the members of the association. "Not wearing helmets amounts to committing suicide", says the lawyer in an agonised tone.

These social organisations only show that one need not resign oneself to every trying situation. Because almost always there is someone to turn to.

Dos and don'ts for auto passengers

- When you see a vacant auto just get inside and never plead with the driver to take you to your destination.

- Insist on the meter being used.

- Since generally one knows the approximate rate for the distance travelled, assert yourself if you find the charge too high.

- Never take an auto from an auto stand or from outside a hotel.

- Always have pen and paper while travelling in an auto and note down the number of the auto to enable further action.

For accident victims to take note

- The court fee for compensation is only Rs. 372.50 for a claim of Rs. 1,00,000.

- Claims need not be filed in a hurry. One can do so after getting all the details from the police officer, as a matter of right.

- A victim is entitled to damages actual and general.

- Once the case is handed over to an advocate, the victim should insist on a copy of the claim petition.

- The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal is situated in the High Court Compound. So one need not take the help of touts.

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