Auto-rickshaws in Gurugram and Faridabad to get unique IDs

Auto-rickshaw drivers in Gurugram and Faridabad will receive unique identification stickers with serial numbers registered with the regional transport authority (RTA) and driver's pictures. The move aims to curb crime and ensure passenger safety. Auto-rickshaws without these stickers will not be permitted on the roads from November onwards. The initiative will be implemented in different phases across Haryana state.

Auto-rickshaw drivers in Gurugram and Faridabad are now set to receive their own unique identifications.

Police said the drivers will get a sticker that would have the serial number registered with the regional transport authority (RTA) along with the driver’s picture on it. (HT Archive)

Police in the two cities will start a verification drive of all the registered auto-rickshaws to equip them with unique IDs, officers said, adding that this would help authorities keep a check on any illegal or criminal activity.

Police said the drivers will get a sticker that would have the serial number registered with the regional transport authority (RTA) along with the driver’s picture on it. This sticker will be pasted on the inside of the vehicle’s windshield, police said, adding that the process will begin in Gurugram and Faridabad on Saturday.

A decision has been taken by the Haryana Police for all the districts in the state and it will be implemented in different phases, said police.

Officers said that auto-rickshaws without these serial numbers will not be allowed to ply on city roads starting November.

Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Virender Vij said that the move is aimed at curbing crime involving alleged auto-rickshaw gangs in the city and to ensure safety of passengers. “We have launched several awareness drives to inform auto-rickshaw drivers and commuters about the serial numbers. The passengers should also check these IDs before boarding the vehicle,” he said.

Vij added that vehicles without these stickers will be issued challans.

“We had a meeting with auto-rickshaw drivers’ unions and directed them to submit the details within 10 days,” added Vij.

Vij said that they have outsourced a vendor who will prepare a sticker with all the details of the vehicle and its driver. “There will be a serial number on each sticker. We will create a database so that if we receive any complaints, we can seamlessly check the credentials of the driver,” he said.

According to the RTA data, Gurugram has nearly 60,000 registered auto-rickshaws while Faridabad has around 45,000.

Police said out of the 60,000 registered auto-rickshaws in Gurugram, only 20,000 are plying on the road.

Amit Yashvardhan, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), Faridabad, said that their teams are deployed at all major spots to collect data of the auto-rickshaws plying in the city. “We have already collected data of over 6,000 vehicles and will complete the remaining data within a month,” he said.