In the eye of a storm over a rape case, global cab-booking firm Uber on Wednesday finally ceased its operations in the National Capital complying with a Government ban imposed on it. The Delhi Police had expressed its inability to enforce ban on Uber operation.
The Delhi Government on Monday had announced a ban on Uber and other app-based taxi services with immediate effect after the rape of a 27-year-old woman executive by a cabbie contracted by the firm. Even though Delhi Government had imposed the ban with immediate effect, Uber continued with its services till Tuesday evening, claiming that it had not received any communication about the action.
Police said the Delhi Government’s order banning the cab company in the city was hand delivered to its officials on Tuesday evening after they claimed that the order was yet to reach them. The move to cease operations came even as the STA and Traffic Police engaged in a blame game with both putting the onus on each other to enforce the ban.
The Delhi Traffic Police expressed its inability to ban Uber cabs plying in the National Capital. Their contention was that banning the taxi service was not under their domain as Uber Cab Service is operated by a especially-designed app and Delhi Traffic Police does not have data of the taxis enrolled with Uber.
“It is the job of the Government to enforce the ban and that can only be done after the Government asks its agencies to deactivate the Uber App and also shut down its control room,” said a senior Delhi Police official earlier in the day, pleading anonymity.
“Our job is to regulate traffic and also enforce the Motor Vehicle Act. We cannot ban an app that is not under our domain. It is the job of the Delhi Transport Authority to make the app dysfunctional as the same is issued and permitted by them,” the police official told The Pioneer.
“We have registered an FIR against Uber management on charges of cheating, disobeying the Government order and common intent under Section 406/188/34 of the IPC. Penal action will be initiated once the probe is over,” said the police official.
While the authorities were playing the blame game Uber cabs were plying in the city with impunity.
Facing the brunt of the public’s ire for its failure to enforce the ban on Uber, a visibly embarrassed STA put the onus on Traffic Police to execute the order.
When contacted the STA officials said that they had sent an official communiqué to Delhi Traffic Police to ensure that the ban was enforced in toto. “We asked the Delhi Traffic Police to immediately implement the ban on web-based cab services, including Uber, in the National Capital,” they said.
However, senior police officials of Delhi Traffic Police refuted that they had received any communiqué from the STA. “We have not got any letter from transport department. Traffic police is unable to implement such order,” said a senior police official.
It would be pertinent to mention here that STA had issued notification on Monday and had clarified that only six radio taxi operators - Meru, Mega, Chanson, Yo, Air and Easy, are authorised to run radio taxi services in Delhi. “All other transport service providers through web-based technology, who are not recognised, are prohibited from providing such services till they get a licence from the Transport Department,” the notification had said. Uber, Ola Cabs, Taxi for Sure and TaxiPixi are mobile-application based cab booking services that have been operating in Delhi since the past few months. With the ban coming into effect, an estimated 10,000 taxis associated with web applications will be affected.