Madurai: The rapid growth of share-autos in Madurai has contributed to traffic congestion and raised passenger safety concerns, with residents alleging weak enforcement of traffic and transport regulations.Share-auto drivers frequently stop at bus stops, junctions, road margins and market areas to pick up or drop passengers, disrupting traffic flow and causing bottlenecks, said D Gopalakrishnan, a resident-activist from K Pudur.“Be it a bus stop, a busy junction, a road margin or a market area, they stop wherever they want. They do not bother about the disruption to traffic flow or the vehicle queues that build up behind them, often leading to chaos,” he said.Overloading is another major concern. Though regulations permit only three passengers in a share-auto, vehicles carrying six to eight passengers are a common sight across the city. “This is putting lives at risk, and the police have largely remained mute spectators,” Gopalakrishnan added.Madurai city traffic police said enforcement drives are conducted regularly and cases are booked zone-wise against violators. “Last year alone, we penalised and detained more than 1,500 autos for traffic violations. We will intensify enforcement drives once schools reopen on Thursday,” a senior police officer said.Transport department officials said nearly 210 auto drivers were booked for overloading passengers and that special enforcement drives have been planned for next month.