(Stanley Pinto, TNN)
MANGALORE: With autorickshaw drivers coming under the scanner in the wake of alleged abduction and rape of a medical student in Manipal on Thursday last, Udupi district police is planning to implement the Auto Rickshaw Drivers’ Display System (ADDS).
Bangalore traffic police had implemented ADDS in 2006, after the gang rape of a woman by miscreants allegedly using an auto on Bangalore University’s Jnanabharathi campus. ADDS cards will have the name of the vehicle owner, name of the driver, driver’s photograph and vehicle’s registration number and it will be exhibited inside the auto so that it is visible to the passenger. Udupi superintendent of police MB Boralingaiah told TOI, “We were mulling the idea a few months ago.
The assembly polls put brakes on it. Now, we will actively pursue it with the Regional Transport Authority. Udupi Regional Transport Officer Padmaprasad said, “We do not issue the display cards. In Bangalore and Mysore, it was the initiative of the traffic police.” Manipal Auto Drivers Union honorary president Ramesh Kanchan said they will welcome any move of the police department or the government that will help passengers ensure their safety.
“It is a good initiative,” he added. When TOI contacted Bangalore assistant commissioner of police (ACP) MA Saleem, he said that the system will be made compulsory for taxi and call centre vehicles from September 1. “We started ADDS system in 2006. The department has the personal data of over lakh auto drivers. This is mainly to help the commuter identify the auto and the driver in case of harassment or demand of excess fare,” he added.
