Delhi Police starts new project for safety in cabs

NEW DELHI: When an unknown cab driver comes to pick you up from your destination, it gives rise to various apprehensions in one's mind.

The Delhi Police has been working on the so-called trust deficit between the passengers and cab drivers and seemingly have come up with a meticulous plan for the safety of the passengers.

The Delhi Police is providing Quick Response (QR) codes to cabs plying in Delhi, which the passengers can scan using the Delhi Police's Himmat app to inform police of their journey.

The trial run for the project started on Thursday, with the QR code being installed in around six black and yellow taxis operating at Delhi airport.

Besides the QR code, a card that will be pasted behind the driver's seat will also have photograph of the driver and other details.

Talking to Millennium Post, Sanjay Beniwal Special CP (Women's Safety Airport and Modernisation) said: "We are trying this in a limited capacity to know the glitches if any in running this system. Once we are sure we will elaborate it to the entire Capital. Our aim is to build trust between the passenger and the driver of the cab".

The Delhi Police also plans to talk to the Transport ministry regarding effective implementation of the service, once the trial is satisfactorily completed.

"The system can track entire movement of the cab. The moment a passenger scans the QR code, the details will reach our special control room which has been set up specially for this purpose. The monitoring system will generate an SMS and send it to the passenger's mobile phone as an alert." said Beniwal.

However, the officer added that passengers have to be alert in the cab after matching the details of the driver with the card. This is not a gender specific measure, though it is assumed that it will benefit the women more who travel alone.

"This service is not gender specific, anyone could be the target anytime." said Beniwal.