Duvvada Railway Station gets new pre-paid auto stand

Railways sanction pre-paid auto stand at Duvvada Railway Station to prevent overcharging, improve safety for passengers.

The railways have sanctioned a pre-paid auto and taxi stand near the Platform No. 4 exit of Duvvada Railway Station. The Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of Waltair, K. Saandeep, sent a communication to this effect earlier this month.

The Duvvada Railway Station, situated within the limits of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), is classified as a Non-Suburban Group-5 category station. The railways has proposed to collect a fee of ₹5 per day per autorickshaw parked at the stand.

“There is space for booking of around 14 autorickshaws on the PF-4 side of Duvvada Railway Station. This has been a long-pending demand from passengers, and our association as in the absence of an auto stand with pre-determined fares, the auto drivers are fleecing passengers in the absence of adequate public transportation facilities from the railway station to the Kurmannapalem National Highway and various parts of the city,” says K. Eswar, a Member of the Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) of East Coast Railway (ECoR).

Work on the redevelopment of Duvvada Railway Station is under way. In the meantime, sheds can be arranged for the auto stand, and the police can ensure that auto drivers adhere to the pre-determined rate charts for different destinations, he said.

“The noting down of the autorickshaw registration number and details of the passengers and driver by the police would ensure the safety of passengers, especially women, arriving and leaving by late-night trains,” adds Mr. Eswar.