Chandigarh, Nov. 6 -- An average of four challans per day were issued to passenger auto-rickshaws for reckless driving, overcrowding, and illegal parking in the first seven months of the current financial year. This is higher than the daily average recorded over the past three years.

There are about 6,000 auto-rickshaws registered locally in Chandigarh, and nearly 1,000 are permitted from Punjab and Haryana. While the UT administration has curbed speeding through an automatic challaning system, the State Transport Authority (STA) has now stepped up action against errant auto-rickshaw drivers.

Records reveal that auto-rickshaws are the most frequent violators of traffic rules, surpassing buses and maxi-cabs. Till October 31 of the curren...