
SUDHEENDRA MURALIDHARA has a hobby: cellphone photography. Not just narcissistic frames of himself and his friends and family, but everyday scenes he observes here and there.
Here, he forwards a picture of an ingenious “steering lock” employed by many autorickshaw drivers in big cities like Bangalore and Mysore. Obviously, a “responsible” rickshaw owner should do everything to protect his possession, his family’s source of anna-sambaar; obviously, not all drivers are cheats.
Still, the reputation of the men in khaki (half-sleeves) is at such a nadir—for their disdain for traffic rules, for clogging up the streets, for screwing up the air with noise and noxious fumes, for their contempt for the lives and limbs of others, and not least for their fares—that Sudheendra writes: “It left me wondering if the papa pragne of the auto driver, for having cheated so many passengers with his tampered meter, made him use a chain to protect his autorickshaw.”
Despite brave talk of the police and frequent complaint in the media almot 90% of the meters are tamperd upto 50%. The same thing holds good for quality of construction of roads and repair works. MCC Commissioner may be demolishing encroachments but in the field his zeal and commitment has not been traslated by his people and contractors are getting away doing shoddy work. I have today seen the work being done in 5th cross Saraswathipuram and I upbraided the chap and I find there were no engineer from MCC. Then at the junction of 14th main and 6th cross in S’puram the culvert recently constructed has gaping hole. I have taken the photographs which I wills send it to the Commisssioner. He had remarked MCC is in bad health but I find it is still in ICU with no hope of recovery.
A few months back when I was in Bangalore I had to take an auto from Jayamahal to MNK park Basavangudi. As I got into the Auto the Meter was promptly put and I was taken for a free ride around bangalore- Sivajinagar bustand-MGRoad-MayoHall-StMarksrd-UB-Kantiravastadium-Corporation-MTR-Lalbagh-Southend circle-Pattalamagudi rd and I asked he driver to drop me at Basavangudi police station! The meter showed Rs74 and the driver felt sorry and collected only Rs42. I am no stranger to Bangalore as I lived there for decades. But I had a free ride thanks to the Bangalore Auto!!