To ensure the safety of women, the Delhi government on Sunday ordered all taxi operators to install GPS in their vehicles, failing which, fitness certificates will not be issued to them.
According to a senior official, the government’s decision will be enforced on all types of taxis, including Radio taxis and black-and-yellow cabs, plying in different parts of the national Capital. The government has also made it clear that taxi operators will not be issued fitness certificates unless they get Global Positioning System (GPS) installed in their vehicles.
“We want to ensure women safety in all public taxis. We have directed all operators, including those of black-and-yellow cabs, to first install GPS in their vehicles,” said the official.
“GPS will not only ensure women safety in taxis, but it also will help police in case of any untoward incidents,” he said. There are more than 15,000 cabs, including black-and-yellow taxis and Delhi-NCR taxis, plying across the Capital.
Meanwhile, radio taxi operators said that they welcome the government’s decision, but they have not been given any time-frame to complete this work. “The radio-taxies are already equipped with the GPS system, but there are other taxi operators, who are operating their taxies without GPS devices. They may have to face financial restraints to get it done. So before making it compulsory and implementing this law, reasonable time should be given,” said Kunal Lalani, president of the association and CEO of Mega Cabs.
Meanwhile, the transport department had earlier said that the government will ensure that all public service vehicles are fitted with GPS. Post the physiotherapy student gang-rape in 2012, the Delhi Government had made it mandatory to have GPS fitted in all commercial vehicles, which is yet to be implemented by the transport department.
Last year, the transport department had conducted an online lottery draw for 69,309 auto rickshaw permits. Last week, it conducted a draw for 7,843 black-and-yellow taxi permits. The recent cab-rape incident had forced the department to push the taxi and auto rickshaw operators to install the Global Positioning System (GPS) and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS).