1 crore lies dormant as govt sits on prepaid auto policy

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Jaipur: The state govt has delayed implementing a policy for pre-paid auto-rickshaw stands for nearly five years. As a result, a nationalised bank in Jaipur has declared the account—meant for managing these stands—dormant due to lack of transactions over an extended period.
According to members of auto-rickshaw associations, the account holds around Rs1 crore, collected as a Rs2 service charge from commuters at pre-paid stands. The amount was meant to serve as a benevolent fund for auto drivers and their families but remains untouched in the absence of a clear policy. "It was the Congress govt who introduced the pre-paid auto rickshaw stands in the city way back in 1999, but suddenly, after 21 years, the Congress govt again closed these pre-paid booths, citing there is no pre-paid booth policy in the state.
Since then, this bank account is lying unused and was declared dormant by the bank," said Kuldeep Singh, president of an auto rickshaw association in Jaipur. The account was opened in 1999 with the Chaura Rasta branch of a nationalised bank. Two representatives of the transport department and two representatives of the two auto rickshaw associations were the signatories.
An old-timer recalled that in 1999, the Congress govt started these pre-paid booths with three aims.
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First, to ensure that the passengers, especially at the railway station, airport, and Sindhi Camp bus stands, need not bargain with the drivers and can pay govt-approved fare at these booths. Second, to keep a record of the drivers and the passengers along with the items they are carrying with them for security reasons.
Third, to utilise the service charge accumulated from these booths for the welfare of the auto drivers and their families.
"The fare at these pre-paid booths was on par with the metered fare. Passengers needed to pay a service charge of Rs 2 for pre-paid autos, and this charge remained the same till these booths were withdrawn. For 21 years, a service charge amounting to more than Rs 80 lakhs was collected and deposited in the bank account. We did not utilise a single penny in the 21 years, and now the account has been declared dormant," stated Umrao Quershi, the President of the second auto rickshaw union in Jaipur.

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