The New Nation - Internet Edition

Chittagong Correspondent

Uncompromising stand of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) in enforcing metered tariff of the auto-rickshaws in the port city has finally pushed the auto owners and drivers en-masse to the meter repairing and fixing workshops.

Backed by strong public support the CMP's move is assumed to become successful only it is kept under intensive watch until a culture of metered tariff is flourished.

Hundreds of auto-rickshaws mostly with no or defective tariff meters are rushing to the workshops for getting tariff meters installed or faults fixed.

Some of the frequent movers alleged that though the auto-owners and drivers were crazy for setting tariff meters, tendency of taking advantage of commuter's helplessness and charging excessive fare from the passengers did still present.

"We installed tariff meters simply to avert police harassment not for transporting commuters, Moktar Ahmed, an auto-rickshaw driver told this correspondent.

The CMP men began massive hunt for the auto-rickshaws had been exploiting commuters by charging tariff at the will of the drivers after the expiry of its earlier announced deadline on December 31 last year.