Since a drive for verification of taxi operators who were plying their services to Delhi airport had revealed that about 70 of the nearly 1,100 of them had criminal records against them, Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna announced on Monday that a similar drive would now be undertaken for all the public service vehicle drivers that would cover autos, taxis and all types of buses.
Making a mention of how the criminal backgrounds of some drivers were revealed when Tata Consultancy Services was entrusted with the task of verifying the antecedents of the taxi drivers and making their identity cards, the Lieutenant-Governor said that a biometrics programme was undertaken as part of the verification drive.
Mr. Khanna said in line with this verification, it has now been decided to carry out similar drives for all bus, auto and taxi drivers to ensure the safety of passengers. The Commissioner Transport of Delhi Government has been issued directions in this regard and he would soon be coming out with new rules through a gazette notification, he said.
He added that till now the identity cards of the bus drivers did not carry their photographs and biometrics and therefore served little purpose as the transfer of these badges was also possible.
“But now with the photographs and proper verification to be done by the Crime Records Bureau, any kind of duplication would not be possible.”
