Not easy to tame auto mafia, admits Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has admitted that auto rickshaws are not safe for women passengers following a campaign by IBN7 which showed that auto rickshaws misbehaved, overcharged and refused to take passengers to their destination. Dikshit's statement comes in the light of several complaints of autos refusing passengers. She said that auto rickshaw drivers routinely flouted the law and it was not easy to make them obey the law.

The IBN7 reports showed that the situation remained as grim as it was on December 16 when auto rickshaws refused to take a 23-year-old paramedical student and her male friend to their home forcing the duo to board a bus in which six men gangraped and brutally assaulted the girl. The girl later died in a Singapore hospital after battling for life for over 12 days and the horrific crime led wide spread protests.

There have been promises of more patrolling, a 24x7 women's helpline and promise of gender training of police, protests and many more. But till now there has been no concrete measure to tackle the auto mafia.

Her statement comes in the light of several complaints of autos refusing passengers and the brutal Delhi gangrape case.

Delhi government officials feel that taming the auto mafia is not going to be an easy task. They point out that Delhi has several thousand autos and many of them given fake addresses.

On the other had Delhi Police suggested that the number of autos should be increased, reason being that more autos will lead to less harassment of passengers.

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