Hundreds of vans having private registration numbers are illegally plying as passenger carriers from Sangam Vihar and Wazirabad in North Delhi to the busiest Kashmiri Gate, said daily commuters. Many among them pointed out that these vehicles openly flout all norms and generally carry more passengers than the seating capacity of the vehicle.
Seen lining up at illegal parking spots, under Kashmiri gate flyover, they cause jam and chaos. Charging Rs 15 from each customer, they make around Rs 150 in a single trip, making not less than 25 trips in a day, said sources. If the people involved in this illegal plying of vehicles are to be believed, a van operator earns around Rs 3,500 a day. A sizeable amount also goes to the local cops, a middleman said on the condition of anonymity.
“These vehicles operate as passenger vehicles without any legal sanctity and with the nod from local police. Apart from causing inconvenience to the passengers they are also a big trouble for other vehicles plying on road. They often drive very rash causing minor accident to the bikers on road; also usually occupy the spaces outside the metros and other points for parking lots,” said a resident, requesting not to be quoted.
“These drivers are anti- social elements and they often insist on girls or women passengers to sit beside them. They take two more passengers to occupy the front seat. As a result the woman passenger is harassed as she is forcibly sandwitched between the driver and the co passengers”, said Bhola Nath Tiwari, a daily commuter.
One girl narrated her nightmarish experience while travelling on one such cab. “It was chilling night in December. I boarded one van at Kashmiri Gate to Wazirabad. Unfortunately no one else was there, and soon after the driver started he started singing dirty double meaning song in Haryanavi. When I objected to it he made me de-board in the middle of the road,” said Sulekha, 19-year-old girl of Wazirabad area. These drivers often smoke ganja and tobacco much to the discomfort of the passengers, said another commuter.
“When we ask them not to do so they say we should board a bus or some other public transport. They even stop vehicles in midway asking people who object to smoking to immediately de-board,” said Anuj, who takes these vans to reach his destination daily.
At Kashmiri Gate, traffic moves at a snail's pace as haphazardly parked vehicles impede the flow of traffic.
Narrating the ordeal and compulsion in such cabs, Rajeev Kishor, a student of Delhi University said there are only a few buses on this route that too are not frequent so we are left with no option than to take these vehicles to reach at nearest metro station.
There are several other routes all over Delhi on which such illegal passenger carriers ply without any fear of authorities or law. “The condition is really pathetic as the public transport system in this part of the city needs improvement”, said Gopal Ram.
Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Dependra Pathak said, “Action will taken against these cabs and nobody would be spared. I have sought a report from the concerned DCP and further action will be initiated if the complicity of local traffic police personnel is proved.”