New Delhi, March 8 (PTI): "Legislators have seen a 100 per cent rise in salaries, the price of CNG (compressed natural gas) has risen 71 per cent. The fares of autos have risen 0 per cent. From where should we bring honesty from? " questions a poster taped on the back of an autorickshaw plying on the roads of the National Capital.

After gaining notoriety among commuters through their brash behaviour, tendency to grossly overcharge and blatant refusal to obey traffic rules, autorickshaw drivers in the capital are now spearheading a drive to overhaul their image and bring about a change in public perceptions.

The poster is part of a multi-step campaign launched with help from the NGO 'Nyayabhoomi' to assist auto-drivers to bring about a change in their pubic image as well as prompt the Government to change policies to bring them relief.

For commuters in the National Capital, it is routine to haggle with auto-drivers over fares, which route to take and most frequent of all the meters, that in most of the cases are found to be "broken".

"Most people just fight it out with the drivers or constantly criticise the system. But we thought somebody should go towards the root of the problem and deal with the problem, " says Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary Nyayabhoomi.

The organisation launched a "politeness and honesty" drive in November last year by enlisting the support of around 50 auto-drivers in the capital.

"We instructed the drivers to greet passengers with a smile and namaste, never refuse fares and always ply with the meter switched on," says Lt. Col. B B Sharan, president of Nyayabhoomi, which also deals with issues such as sanitation, water and corruption.