Cyberabad cabs avoid registration programme
Police officials expect more cabs to start registering once penalties are imposed
By : amar tejaswi
Update: 2014-05-10 01:05 GMT
Hyderabad: Cyberabad police on Friday launched the QR (Quick Response) coded identification stickers for cabs and taxis plying on Cyberabad roads. The programme aims to create a database of all the cabs in the city to keep a watch on them. The police had set an April-end deadline for registration of all cabs, but only about 2,000 of the estimated 20,000 cabs operating in Cyberabad have registered so far. Only a few vehicles of even reputed operators like Meru and Yellow Cabs have registered.
The cab identification programme was launched after the shocking gang rape incident on the outskirts of the city. The police said that each cab would be given a QR coded sticker that can be scanned using a smartphone. Or, the unique identification number on the sticker can be used to identify the agency running the cab and the driver listed with it.
A notification mandating the registration of cabs was also issued in February this year. The first such sticker was given away on Friday after resolving specific technical glitches in the database software. The database of all drivers and cabs would also be made publicly available on the Cyberabad police, and traffic police websites apart from a mobile application to be launched soon. A similar database for autos is also on the anvil.
Referring to the few registrations so far, Cyberabad police commissioner, C.V. Anand said, “We had given them plenty of time and after requests the deadline was extended as well. But now we will start penalising cabs which have not registered.”
Police officials expect more cabs to start registering once penalties are imposed on them. Avinash Mohanty, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said, “Cab associations had said they would co-operate, but now they have backed out. We will start penalising them from Monday.”
“The onus finally lies on the owner of the cab and most of them are sort of franchise based. I think some of them have registered,” Mr Mohanty added.