GB NAGAR: TRAFFIC POLICE LAUNCHES SPECIAL DRIVE FOR CAB VERIFICATION

NOIDA: The traffic police in Gautam Budh Nagar has launched a drive for verification of cabs to check vehicle-related incidents, officials said on Tuesday. Ganesh Saha, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), Gautam Budh Nagar, said there are instances when commuters are looted after taking a lift, or passengers who don’t book cabs online -- a valid process -- snatch away cabs from drivers.

“There are 13,000 registered cabs in Gautam Budh Nagar, and we have launched a verification drive for all private cabs and taxis. We will verify the registration papers of a cab, its pollution certificate, insurance, and driver’s credentials,” Saha said, adding that verification of all the drivers is also important for the safety of the commuters. “People with criminal records or tainted pasts will not be allowed to drive cabs. We will make a database of these vehicles and the drivers, which will be used when needed.”

Such drivers will also be sensitised to only ferry people who book cabs following a valid process. “These drivers cannot offer lifts to people without a valid booking process,” he said. After a cab ride is booked online -through a mobile application -- it is easier to trace the suspect(s), police said. There are several cases where the suspects pretend to be commuters, and later snatch cabs from the drivers.

Anurag Kulshrestha, president of TRAX -- an NGO working towards road safety -- said that the verification of cabs and drivers is a good move. “Most of these cabs have a national capital region permit. This means, a vehicle registered in Noida can ply in Delhi and Gurugram, and vice versa. Hence, only verifying cabs in Noida may not yield desired results. Police should sensitise all cab drivers and install CCTV cameras at important roads/points.”