Harrassment by a Shuttle Maruti Van No WB02 - 3151

The driver of a Grey/Ash colour, old, 8 seater Maruti Van (number WB02 - 3151) plying between Exide Stoppage and Karunamoyi in Salt Lake is harassing people. He charges rates double rates during office hours and the people during office hours finding no other solution takes his shuttle and falls his victim. If the charge between Exide and Salt Lake is Rupees 15, he charges Rupees 30 after reaching the destination. The diver is a healthy non guy with a moustache demands that he will start doing "bawal" on the passengers if he is not paid the money he demands.

Initially he agrees with the existing amount with the passengers. After reaching the destination, he demands that he should be paid double the amount at any cost, otherwise he will use his sources to create tension among the passengers and would use unfair means to get double the actual amount.

This is what had happened with me today. Today 18th October, 2008 at 5.45pm I asked this driver waiting at Exide crossing near Haldirams to take me and my gf to Darga Road crossing. I asked him what would he charge for it. He said he would charge Rs. 5 (five) each, so we got into the car and sat on the empty seat. Next people came and sat on the 8 seater Maruti Van. As it got filled, the driver took the car and as Darga Road crossing came, he stopped the car about half a kilometer away from the crossing (shows he had evil intentions) and demanded that I give him Rupees 10 each instead of Rupees 5, otherwise he will not let me and my gf go from there. It was 6.10pm then. Thus he came out of the car and started using slang languages in broken Bengali (he is a non-Bengali as it seemed by his language). I said that I cannot give him more than Rupees 10 for both as he had told me to give Rupees 5 each and we are 2 people so he should take Rupees Rupees 10 from me. But he kept quiet about the matter that he had told me that he would take Rupees 5 each. 

I told him that I would like to go to a Traffic Sergeant and settle the matter. So I took him to the Sergent waiting at the Darga Road & Park Circus Connector Crossing near Bridge no 4. I related about the whole incident to the Sergeant. The Sergent was indifferent. He was not interested on the matter and told me that I should not give more than Rupees 5 each to the driver and he left to do his job. In the meantime when I was approaching the Sergeant alone he told my gf that she should pay him the money he demands else he should not let her come to me and said he would use more slang language on me. 

Later I saw that I was getting late for my next job and my gf was also tired and was on the verge of weeping. So I let the man go off with Rupees 20 and took his car number, so that I can write this blog and make this post an eye opener about this driver and other drivers who charge more than the actual amount and that too maliciously. (Initially drawing the passenger by telling him about the actual fare and demanding double the fare when the destination is about to be reached). Later when I let the driver go away, the traffic Sergeant came to me and told me why did I give the money to the driver. This showed that how the traffic Sergeant was afraid of that driver and did not help a person in danger along with his companion, instead the Sergeant in fear let the driver go away. This is the condition of Kolkata today. Hope someone listens. Will I not get a proper justice for this? How long will this continue?

I would like to bring this post to the notice of some people: -

1) The Kolkata Police (who are afraid of the main culprits)

2) The Government of West Bengal (who are indifferent)

3) The Transport Department of West Bengal for allowing such morons to do business with old cars.

4) The Unions of Shuttle Cars to let such illegal cars ply the city and demand high transportation charges by such moron drivers.

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