Mysuru City Police on Friday issued guidelines to taxi operators as a safeguard for women passengers in the wake of the sexual assault on a commuter by an Uber cab driver in Delhi recently.
Police Commissioner M.A. Saleem convened a meeting of taxi operators, associations of taxi owners and drivers, and travel agents at his office, and gave instructions on the steps to be taken by them with immediate effect for putting in place the safety standards in their operations.
With Mysuru being a prominent tourist destination, attracting domestic and international tourists right through the year, taxi operators must be extra cautious in ensuring the safety of women passengers, the police said.
Speaking to The Hindu after the meeting, Mr. Saleem said taxi operators had been directed to put up display boards inside the cabs (like in autorickshaws) with details about the driver, such as driving licence number, address, among other details.
A proposal would be sent to the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to issue a circular on making display boards mandatory in cabs, he added.
He said taxi operators had been strictly instructed to check the antecedents of the drivers before employing them, and drivers should not have been booked for drunken driving before his appointment.
Mr. Saleem told taxi operators and travel agencies to check whether the drivers possess valid driving licences and make arrangements making it mandatory for drivers to wear badges.
He said no taxi can operate with white number plates and all taxis must display yellow number plates.
The Police Commissioner said a drive would be conducted soon to check whether the operators have complied with the instructions. Cases will be booked against the operators if the guidelines were found unimplemented, he warned.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) A.N. Rajanna, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) M.M. Mahadevaiah, and senior police officers and representatives from the Mysore Travel Operators’ Association were present.
