Noida: E-rickshaws and autos driving against the flow of traffic and hailing shoppers and commuters along the way have become a common sight on the one-km stretch from GIP Mall and Sector 18 metro station to Botanical Garden metro station on Captain Vijyant Thapar Road.After Noida Authority last year closed the stretch between Sector 18 metro station and Atta Peer to three-wheelers, in a bid to avoid adding to the chaos in the city’s busiest market hub, auto and e-rick drivers are required to take a detour of roughly 10km via Film City, DLF Mall, Atta market in Sector 27 and under Noida Elevated Road to reach the other arm of the road and finally Botanical Garden.For drivers, for whom more rides mean more money, breaking the rule has become more than a convenience, especially at a time when fuel prices are skyrocketing. No police personnel are posted on the stretch, so the violations also go unchecked.Gaurav Kumar, who regularly drives from Botanical Garden towards Rajnigandha Chowk, said autos and e-rickshaws plying in the wrong direction cut through the flow of traffic and add to the chaos. “Lack of police personnel at the spot makes matters worse,” he said.
Auto drivers told TOI that the road sees heavy movement of vehicles throughout the day. During the festive season, rush-hour pressure is immense as streams of shoppers head from GIP Mall to Botanical Garden metro station. “Passengers are in a rush and don’t mind if we drive on the wrong side,” e-rickshaw driver Raju said.Raju said the restrictions imposed last year left drivers with little choice. “There is a U-turn near Sector 18 metro station but as e-rickshaws are banned from plying on that road, we are forced to take a longer route to reach Botanical Garden,” he said. A journey of around 1km can consequently turn into a trip of about 10km.Another auto driver, Santosh Kumar, said the detour adds 15-20 minutes to each trip but does not allow drivers to charge passengers more. “Passengers neither want to pay a higher fare nor take a longer route. The extra travel means more fuel consumption and fewer trips in a day, which affects our earnings,” he said.DCP (traffic) Pravin Ranjan Singh said he had directed a team to visit the spot and conduct an enforcement drive. The district has about 18,000 auto-rickshaws and 20,000 e-rickshaws.Noida Authority, which has been looking for a fix, plans to open a U-turn near Sector 18 after discussion with traffic police. Senior manager Kapil Singh said the civic body would take up the matter with the police. “The enforcement part is with the traffic police. We will discuss the matter with the traffic police and explore a permanent solution, including a U-turn, for smooth commuting,” he said.
