Taxi union seek extension for mandatory rear seat belt rule

Four days after the traffic police decided to provide a breather to implement rear seatbelt rule, the Mumbai Taximen’s Union has appealed for its extension till December 31. The union has written to the city’s Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) to extend the deadline due to the shortage of seat belts

Mumbai: Four days after the traffic police decided to provide a breather to implement rear seatbelt rule, the Mumbai Taximen’s Union has appealed for its extension till December 31. The union has written to the city’s Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) to extend the deadline due to the shortage of seat belts.

Mumbai, India - 2 Sept. 2015 : The black and yellow taxi observes strike against uber and ola cabs, The strike continues for the second day. All the taxi drivers line up at CST international airport, Andheri, in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, September 2, 2015. (Photo by Pramod Thakur/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

In the letter, union leader, A L Quadros wrote, “As per your circular dated October 31, passengers who occupy the rear seats must wear seat belts. Since you have stated in your order that if the passenger fails to wear seat belts the fine would be collected from the passengers. We welcome your decision. Many taxi operators have removed the seat belts. The seat belts are not available in the market and we have requested the car manufacturers to supply the seat belts.”

With the aim to make the citizens aware about the seatbelt rule, the traffic police decided to make it mandatory only by November 10. “We have given a few days of levy already and are currently focusing on creating awareness about the new rule,” said a senior traffic police officer.

Meanwhile, garage owners and car manufacturers are getting many requests to install seatbelts. “Many private vehicles have upholstery that covers the rear seat belts. We have been getting daily orders to remove it in such a way that the upholstery is not spoilt and the seat belts are visible,” said Imtiyaz J, owner of Wadala auto services.

On October 14, the traffic police released an order, based on the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act, that wearing rear seatbelts will be made mandatory from November 1 onwards across the city. On November 1, the first day of the newly-made seatbelt amendment, a total of 204 e-challans were issued by the Mumbai Traffic Police.