Though the Salt Lake police could to some extent control the auto menace early this week, the police in most cases are scared to take effective measures because of the political clout which the auto operators reportedly enjoy, said senior police and state transport department officials.

The police at Bidhannagar in Salt Lake succeeded in curbing indiscipline by a section of auto drivers early this week. Senior police and state transport department officials say that a comprehensive plan has to be taken involving all stakeholders to tackle the auto menace.

Around 50,000 auto-rickshaws out of 1.20 lakh auto rickshaws in Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) have been plying without a license, insurance certificate, registration certificate and route permit while some have not renewed their license in time, a senior Public Vehicles Department official said.

A senior city police official said that they are scared to take any steps against the auto operators because of their political affiliations.

A group of auto-rickshaw operators are plying their vehicles with a flag of Trinamul Congress at the top of their vehicles or pasting a picture of the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee to intimidate the police officers, a senior city police officer said.

“The auto-rickshaw operators intimidate us even if we ask them to show their license or registration certificate or route permit,” the police officer said.

According to motor vehicle rules, auto rickshaw operators are allowed to carry only three passengers in their vehicles. But most of the operators carry five or six passengers, the police officer said. A group of auto rickshaw operators park their vehicles on both flanks of the roads creating traffic congestion in most of the important intersections of the city. The fares are fixed by auto unions which enjoy political backing. They feel that they are above the law because of political backing and the police&’s reluctance to act against them strengthens that belief,” a senior transport department official said.

Transport department officials, senior police officers, representatives of auto operators, local political representatives and common people need to sit together and figure out a comprehensive plan to tackle the menace, transport department officials said.

Commuters said that the transport minister Madan Mitra never instructed the police and the PVD to seize the errant auto drivers. The minister, before he went to jail, formed a new committee everyday as an eyewash to discipline the auto operators, commuters said.

In 2010, special commissioner of police K Hari Rajan used to take frequent drives against the errant auto drivers to discipline them.

Hari Rajan was sidelined by the other senior police officers at Lalbazar as he used to take frequent drives to discipline the errant auto and taxi drivers and a few months later he was transferred from Lalbazar.