Auto Woes

To begin with, let's talk about autos. I don't know about other states. but since I live in Delhi, let's talk about it. I stay in a place near Saket, one of the richest South Delhi areas. But our place is mostly inhabited by migrants (and thankfully, we still do not have any Raj Thakreys hooting us out). A narrow road full of shops leads to our residential area. Since people in Delhi believe in multiple traffic lines and since there is no traffic police (at least in real life irrespective of what is there on papers), there is always a huge traffic jam. So, even when you try to get an auto to take you home from a place that is about 1.5 Kms away, the autowallahs would either refuse to go or charge at least four times what the meter reading would be. We, Delhities, are used to it. But think about it...although the auto fares have been raised and the police and administration is well aware of this fact, every time, we end up spending four times more than what we should really pay.

People with big, fat salaries and stretched cars will not even realize the trauma that we face everyday. But for us, mango people, aam admi (and aurat, to be precise), how do we feel each time we are refused, standing helplessly on the road side? The police complaint numbers are useless...since no auto driver is afraid of the same. Maybe they too have their own story to tell. But right now, I want to tell out story...middle class mango people.

Will Anna Hazare's Lokpal Bill put an end to this? If not, what will? I don't want to accept "buying your own car" as an option even if I have the choice to do so. What will improve this?