The administration has set a deadline for toto registration in the industrial area. Around 50 totos are being registered daily. However, routes are not being allocated to drivers. As a result, confusion has arisen regarding which routes they will operate their totos on.
The Trinamool transport workers' organization Asansol Motor Transport Workers Union, has demanded that routes be specified immediately. However, sources from the district transport department said arrangements will be made after the registration phase is completed. Totos will be allowed to operate in areas where there are no bus-minibus routes.
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The district administration has instructed all totos in the Asansol industrial area to complete registration by the 31st of this month. This process is now underway vigorously across the industrial area.
Temporary camps have been set up in Asansol, Kulti, Salanpur, Barabani, Raniganj and Jamuria areas through initiatives by the police and transport department to register totos. However, since it has not yet been decided which roads totos can operate on after registration, drivers feel they may face route-related problems later.
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Regarding this matter, Asansol Motor Transport Workers Union secretary Raju Aluwalia has demanded that the transport department specify routes at the time of registration for any commercial vehicle. But this is not happening in the case of totos. As a result, if drivers operate totos on roads of their choice, they may get into disputes with other vehicle operators. Therefore, routes must be fixed quickly.
Incidentally, bus owners' organisations have already informed the transport department that totos will not be allowed to operate on bus and minibus routes. Auto drivers also prevent totos from operating on their routes. There is constant unrest between auto and toto drivers over this issue daily, and passengers face problems due to this.
