Jaipur: After the arrest of two men who posed as auto drivers and robbed elderly women, auto union leaders in Jaipur have admitted that the city lacks a proper system to verify or monitor drivers, leaving the door open for such crimes.“There is no real enforcement. Drivers are supposed to wear blue aprons for identification, but most don’t, and passengers hardly notice,” said Kuldeep Singh Issar, president of a city auto union.He said that until 2017, khaki uniforms were mandatory, but the rule was changed after drivers complained about having to change clothes for personal events. “The govt then allowed the use of aprons, which could be worn over regular clothes. But even this rule is rarely followed, and the Rs 100 fine for non-compliance is hardly a deterrent,” Issar added.Following the recent incident, union leaders have issued fresh requests to member drivers to wear aprons. However, they stressed that an apron alone cannot confirm whether a driver is genuine or not. The deeper issue, they said, is the lack of identity verification and data collection.“A large number of auto drivers in Jaipur are not part of any union,” said Umrao Quershi, president of another major auto union. “Most have migrated from other states. Once settled, they often bring in friends or relatives to drive autos. Many either hold licences from their home states or have no licence at all,” he added.Quershi added that in many cases, the only information available to police is through auto owners who rent out vehicles. “We are not sure if these owners keep proper records of who’s driving their autos,” he said.Both union leaders urged the state govt to introduce a comprehensive verification and registration system. They emphasised that without official identification, even enforcement of existing rules becomes ineffective, allowing criminal elements to operate unchecked in the city’s public transport system.
Auto union leaders link rising crimes to lax driver checks | Jaipur News
