Harassed by auto driver? Complain to cops on mobile app

The City traffic police are using social media to create awareness about the various platforms through which citizens can complain about harassment by auto-rickshaw drivers.

Though complaints can be made on already existing hotlines (080-22868444/228 68550), not many calls are received even though complaints of harassment are on the rise. The reason: Lack of awareness.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) B Dayananda said: “We have so many platforms such as our website, Facebook page, mobile app, e-mail accounts and hotlines through which people can make complaints. But there is a lack of awareness about these platforms among the public and that is why we keep promoting these options through social media.”

In the past, an average of 20-25 complaints were registered per day on the hotlines. This has now come down to 10-12 complaints, he added.

Not only hotlines, one can also download the Bengaluru traffic police app, available on Google play store and use the feature to directly reach the page where they can type the auto-rickshaw’s details and submit the complaint in a jiffy.

Officials say that since a majority of people are not aware about such available options to reach out to the authorities to redress their grievances, social media will come in handy to bridge the gap.

It will, they insist, connect thousands of users at the same time because of its vast reach and popularity.

Auto lanes

The dedicated auto lane scheme came into force on February 1 and the traffic police have started a crackdown on errant drivers by booking them for lane indiscipline.

The police had first introduced dedicated lanes for auto-rickshaws on October 6, 2014, to segregate slow-moving traffic from  fast-moving one. Auto-rickshaws are classified as slow-moving traffic. The objective  is to ensure hassle-free flow of traffic.