No need to pay ‘syndicate fees’, MLA tells auto, e-rickshaw drivers
Times of India | 21 May 2026
Kolkata: Nearly 200 auto-rickshaw and e-rickshaw operators from Salt Lake and Lake Town gathered outside the residence of newly elected Bidhannagar MLA Sharadwat Mukherjee at AD Block in Salt Lake last week, carrying what they said was a sizeable amount of cash — money they claimed was long paid as daily ‘syndicate fees' to local TMC functionaries to keep their vehicles on the road.
According to the operators, they were paying Rs 50 per e-rickshaw and Rs 100 per auto every day to continue plying their vehicles. But with no one coming to collect the money over the past few days, they decided to approach the MLA directly.
"We used to pay this money daily to TMC-linked people just to ply our vehicles. No one came to collect it over the last few days, so we came to give it to you," operators reportedly told Mukherjee. Mukherjee, however, turned down the money and told the drivers they would no longer need to pay anyone.
"I told the operators that the days of collecting cut money and syndicate money are gone. Our party is strictly against such corruption, and no one from our party will ever collect money from them," Mukherjee told TOI. "I advised them to keep the money aside for developmental and welfare work within the transport community."
He suggested that the operators create a self-help group and use the funds to support members facing financial distress or emergencies. Mukherjee also claimed that action has already begun against those allegedly involved in extortion. "We've identified all those who used to extort money from such operators. FIRs have been filed. Many offenders have already been identified, and some of them have already been arrested," he said.
The development came a day after police arrested Abhijit Polley, alias Chottu, a TMC functionary in Bidhannagar, on similar extortion charges. Mukherjee also indicated that he plans to move against the unchecked growth of illegal e-rickshaws across Salt Lake. Previous drives found that out of around 4,000 rickshaws operating from 94 stands across Salt Lake and Sector V, nearly 3,800 were allegedly illegally converted into mechanised high-speed vehicles no longer requiring manual pedalling. Some of these vehicles were found capable of reaching speeds of nearly 45 kmph — almost three times Kolkata's average vehicular speed.
"I am aware of the problem," Mukherjee said. "One issue that particularly concerns me is the mushrooming of illegal rickshaw stands across Salt Lake and how many of them draw electricity illegally by hooking onto electric poles. It can lead to a major accident during the monsoon. We are going to take tough action against this malpractice."