That is the impact the campaign has had since its inception; 690 offenders were also booked
That is the impact the campaign has had since its inception; 690 offenders were also booked
While the Mumbai Police manages to nab 450 offenders every month, the taxi campaign undertaken by MiD DAY-Radio One with Mumbai Traffic Police, Regional Transport Office (RTO) and the taxi union has nabbed 690 offenders already -- with 56 added to the list yesterday.
To register your complaint Call 022-24937755
This is an exclusive number given by traffic police to MiD DAY readers to register refuse-to-fare complaints.
ADVERTISEMENT
You can also sms on the MiD DAY number -- 9769874236.
One can also log on to the special url created by MiD DAY with the traffic police, to file a complaint online https://tpm.mid-day.com.
Here's what we found
Reporter: Mritunjay Kumar
Location: CST
Time:u00a0 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Offenders caught: 13
Raja Saha, a taxi driver refused to ply Anuj Ajmera to Navy Nagar. But later, he agreed to take another passenger to Churchgate, and was immediately penalised byu00a0 API Rajendra Uttekar. Another commuter who filed a complaint against the driver was all praise for the campaign. Cops caught another cabbie, Mansoor Alam, who had refused commuter Harsh Patel a fare to Churchgate by saying that he was going to refuel.
Reporter: Roshan Rizvi
location: Churchgate
Time: 9 am to 11:30 am
Offenders caught: 5
Mohammad Lakhani, a passenger, said, "When RTO officials are standing here, the taxi drivers are eager to ply, but in their absence, the drivers start refusing."
Abrar Khan, a taxi driver, refused three passengers and when booked, explained, "The constable caught me even before I could stop for the passenger." Avinash Kamble, PSI, said, "When they don't see us, they keep refusing fares, and when caught, they make excuses."
Reporter: Ramkumar Iyer
Location: Dadar station
Time: 9:00 am to 11:30 am and
5:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Offenders caught: 3
There was a surprising dip in the number of errant cabbies, with the RTO and traffic police catching only two in the morning and one in the evening. The campaign has raised hopes of some passengers. "This is an excellent campaign. In the last few days, hardly any cabbies refused to ply short distances. If this drive works out, we'll surely have a better public transport system," said Abhijit Kulkarni, an MBA student.
Traffic police were directing commuters to hire taxis from the taxi stand and not from the road. "According to traffic rules, when within a 100 meter radius of a taxi stand, commuters are not allowed to hire taxis from anywhere except the stand. A signboard of the rules needs to be put upu00a0 near the stands. The public should also follow these rules. We cannot do much without their cooperation," said PSI Pawan Pathare.
Reporter: Shailesh Bhatia
location: Bandra Jari Mari Temple
Time: 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm
Offenders caught: 15
Cab driver Raj Bahadur Yadav (Taxi no MH 01 J 1049) stole the show on Tuesday evening, as he initiated his own version of Satyagraha, after he was found guilty of refusing a short distance fare and asked to produce his driving licence.
Yadav refused to acknowledge the officer's presence for over 15 minutes, and chose to sit silently and motionless inside the cab. Finally, officer Shivaji Devkar had to ask Yadav if he planned to spend the night sitting in the cab.
After much drama, the truth was revealed -- Yadav had not only refused the fare, but was not displaying his badge and had worn-out tyres, which would have posed a safety risk.
"The total fine could be somewhere close to Rs 1,600, and the licence could be suspended for up to a month when the errant driver is produced in court," informed RTO officer Rahul Nalvade.
Reporter: Sayed sameer Abedi
location: High Street Phoenix
Time: 5.30 PM to 7.30 pm
Offenders caught: 20
Sahil Ameen, a commuteru00a0 said, "I appreciate the efforts taken by the traffic police and MiD DAY. Refusing fare is a big menace. I fail to understand why these people refuse
to ply."
Another commuter Himani Gadwal added, "Sion station also faces similar problems. The taxi drivers there decide to ply according to their own whims."u00a0
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
