Rajasthan Police to verify taxi ervices, drivers

Following the rape of a woman executive by an Uber cab driver in Delhi, Rajasthan Police have been directed to verify the antecedents of the taxi services running across the state and their drivers, officials said Friday.

The directive has been issued by Rajasthan's Director General of Police Omendra Bhardwaj.

"The DGP has asked to verify the registration and other documents of taxis and also the licence and characters of drivers," a senior police official told IANS.

"Our main object is to verify character of drivers. If any driver is found guilty of any major crime, he may not be allowed to drive taxis. A decision in this regard is to be taken soon," he added.

In Jaipur, the traffic police have also launched a drive against underage drivers, verifying three-wheeler (auto taxi) drivers.

The locals believe such an initiative can actually boost confidence about personal security among domestic and foreign visitors.

"This exercise or directions by the DGP if followed properly would certainly go a long way in building confidence among commuters and travellers," said Nitisha Sharma, Secretary, Inaya Foundation, a Jaipur-based NGO.

"Rajasthan, incidentally, is famous tourist destination and lots of tourists visit the state every year. This move will also instill confidence, especially among foreign tourists who prefer to travel in the state by surface transport as they love to see country side," she added.