TimesView Some of the routes have achieved their share of notoriety; the Jadavpur-Taratala route seems to be one of them, where the malaise is particularly deep-rooted. Holding passengers to ransom amounts to blackmail. But cops should stay firm and not step back from enforcing discipline. KOLKATA: The Jadavpur-Taratala auto route—a union leader of which tried to free a driver, arrested for molestation , from cops—is notorious for blocking roads whenever they apparently feel harassed. On Monday, drivers of this route, the legality of which is in question, brought a large part of south Kolkata to a virtual shutdown when they blocked Tollygunge Phari and Prince Anwar Shah Road for over one hour in the evening.Though the auto services had resumed on Tuesday, visibly fed-up commuters vented their anger about the regular harassment they faced. “There are three separate auto stands now for this route. One at Jadavpur police station, one at South City Mall and the other at Lords. Worse, though they are supposed to travel till Taratala, most drivers refuse to go beyond Tollygunge Phari or Rabindra Sarobar Metro station, especially since the Majerhat bridge collapse. If some drivers do agree to go beyond New Alipore , a commuter has to pay more than the usual after 7.30pm,” said Subhasree Mukherjee, a resident of Behala. Most commuters pointed out it was only on the weekends that the autos plied the entire distance. “The fare is Rs 18 but we are usually charged Rs 22-Rs 25,” said Ayan Haldar, a student.The local traffic guards, though, claimed the three stands on Prince Anwar Shah Road were conceptualized to help commuters from South City and Golf Green, who would earlier complain they “never got empty autos”. “No one has complained about the autos refusing to go to Taratala before,” said a Jadavpur traffic guard officer. Last year, a departmental meeting to discuss the proposed auto policy draft listed nine routes originating from near Jadavpur, but this one till Taratala was not on the list, raising doubts about its existence on papers. But ironically, the police claimed, almost all drivers on the route carried valid permits.About the arrest of driver Sheikh Absar alias Manoj (42), who has been picked up after he allegedly molested a woman and attacked her husband during an argument over refusal to ply, an officer said the auto driver claimed the victim was the first to raise her hand. The drivers, said Lake police, have not lodged any complaint.“These men wield power. Once when I tried to protest against dangerous driving, I was told no cop can touch these 150 men driving autos here,”said Atanu Majhi, a Jadavpur University student.

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