Nitin Kumar, an IT professional, usually leaves for office with a broad smile on his face but as soon as he reaches Noida City Centre metro station to catch a Gurgaon-bound metro, he starts losing his cool because of haphazardly parked auto-rickshaws on the service lane.

The ‘squeezed’ service lane, flooded with disorderly parked auto-rickshaws, leaves no other option to vehicle owners but to search for other available parking lots. Those possessing monthly pass of the parking have a lot to say about lack of space that often forces them to park their cars somewhere else, often compromising with security.

Such commuters, after being asked about the situation, bluntly attribute nexus between Noida Police and auto-rickshaws operators as a reason behind massive traffic jams on the service lane at the gate number three of Noida City Centre.

“None of the auto-rickshaw drivers have the temerity to encroach upon the road without getting police patronage. They blatantly flout law without any fear. Irrespective of their presence, police personnel remain a silent spectator,” said Kunal Singhania, a daily commuter, who shuttles between Noida and Delhi.

On enquiring auto-rickshaw operators about illegal parking, a few of them replied that they are ‘permitted’ to park their vehicles. “It is the only space we have got to park our autos here as it is easy to pick passengers and take them to their destinations,” said an auto-rickshaw driver.

Interestingly, some of them admitted of giving ‘hafta’ to police personnel to allow them parking near the City Centre metro station without any fuss.

@governancenow @VishwasDass @DelhiMetro_Rail महोदय शिकायत का संज्ञान लिया गया कार्यवाही की जायेगी।

— Noida Traffic Police (@noidatrafficpol) December 27, 2016

During a reality check, at least 60-70 auto-rickshaws were found to be parked on the service lane which is meant to facilitate smooth traffic during rush hours.

Another commuter, Alok Kaushik who works for a private bank at Model Town in New Delhi, underlined that such situation often arises during morning hours when people struggle a lot to get their cars inside the parking lot.

“What will you do if there is not enough empty space on the road to get into the parking stand? I often exchange heated arguments with auto-rickshaw drivers when there is not enough space to commute. They literally leave no room to private vehicle owners,” Alok rued.