The Hindu : Kerala News : Bid to regulate auto, bus services Law & order

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Monday, Dec 10, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Bid to regulate auto, bus services Law & order

Identity cards for autorickshaw drivers and digital punching system for private buses form the core of the traffic reform programme, writes Anand Haridas

The city police are going ahead with their traffic reform programme, with focus on regulating autorickshaw and private bus services.

As the first step in regulating autorickshaw services, the police have started distributing identity cards to autorickshaw drivers. After the initial resistance, trade unions representing the autorickshaw employees have decided to fall in line.

“About 2,000 identity cards have been issued so far. According to the schedule, the distribution would be completed soon,” said Manoj Abraham, City Police Commissioner.

The police do the basic verification of the details provided by autorickshaw drivers, as the first round screening is done by the trade unions. Even while the drive is on, the police are finding it hard to implement the pre-paid system at the railway stations and bus terminal. With the attempt to open another pre-paid counter outside the railway premises failing to take off, the police are now insisting on the use of fare meters.

“There is no excuse for autorickshaw drivers not to operate meters. If the meters are not functioning, they should produce receipts from the service centre with the date on which the complaint was reported and the nature of complaint recorded on it. Without this receipt, cases will be registered against drivers,” said Mr. Abraham.

The City Police are also all set to launch the digital punching system for private buses.

“For the new punching cabins, we are not following the route timings given by the Regional Transport Office,” he said.

The private buses are given a realistic time schedule, considering the condition of the road and nature of traffic along the stretch, to punch their cards at eight cabins placed at different points in the city. The time given for private buses to reach the cabins varies according to the nature of traffic flow.

This information is fed in the centralised computer system and if the private bus personnel swipe the card in the machine outside the margin of time given, alerts will be issued automatically to the police officials concerned.

“That will be proof that the bus was speeding in between. Thus, the system will have records about the performance of every bus operating in the city limits,” Mr. Abraham said.

The digital punching system is likely to be inaugurated by Minister for Home Affairs Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on December 15.

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