Mumbai: 918 auto drivers lose licenses for saying 'no' to commuters
Mumbai: In a first, the Maharashtra transport department has revoked licenses of 918 auto-rickshaw drivers in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane city for refusing fare, an official said on Wednesday.
Till now, licenses were cancelled for offences like furnishing fake documents to get permits, but not for refusing fare, a senior transport official told PTI.
"This is the first time that the department has acted against auto-rickshaw drivers for refusing fare," he said.
"Transport commissioner Shekhar Channe recently launched the drive under which licenses of 918 auto-rickshaw drivers were revoked for refusing fare in last few months in Mumbai and Thane," he said.
Earlier, the transport department's data was not accessible online and drivers used to get licenses in different names, assistant regional transport officer Tanaji Chavan said.
"But everything is online now and these drivers won't be able to procure another license in any other name anywhere in the country," he said.
According to another official, the regional transport office (RTO) suspended licenses of 12,342 auto drivers for various traffic rules violations in last six months.
Of these, licenses of 918 drivers, particularly from areas like Kurla, Bandra, Bandra- Kurla Complex (BKC) and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane city, were cancelled for refusing fare, he said.
Chavan said the transport department formed 14 special squads to track these drivers following complaints from several commuters.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Auto-Rickshaw Men's Union leader Shashank Rao said the authorities should be lenient with first-time offenders.
"Auto-rickshaw drivers are not on the road to refuse fares. First-time offenders should be shown some leniency," he said.
"But, at the same time I would also like to say that all cases (of refusal or violations) are not genuine. We have won such cases in the past. I would be making a representation to the RTO," Rao said.
Lauding the move, a commuter who daily travels from Santacruz station to Milan Subway in suburban Andheri, said, "These auto-rickshaw drivers deserve such an action."
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
