Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Aug 23: Marred by criticism over the alleged harassment of passengers by a cabdriver, the Arunachal Pradesh Tours and Travels Association (APTTA) on Monday sought to reassure passengers with regard to their safety and security.
The association faced public ire and criticism over neglecting to check drivers’ documents after three women were allegedly harassed by a cabdriver identified as Nilu Singh on 11 August while they were travelling from Itanagar to Guwahati. Singh was arrested by the Itanagar police on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, APTTA president Toko Tadap expressed regret over the incident that marred the travel association’s reputation.
“We are sorry about the incident that occurred on 11 August. We affirm that such an incident will not happen again. The safety of passengers is our priority, and we assure passengers that reformation will be brought, including installing a passenger redressal cell, to tackle such incidents,” Tadap said.
He added that the association is working on sensitizing the drivers to ensuring safety and providing better service to passengers. He also sought cooperation from the public to make it effective.
Bipul Kumar, manager of Sahara Tours and Travels, under which the arrested cabdriver operated, informed that his travel agency is setting up a helpline for passengers who face unruly behaviour and harassment from drivers.
Sahara Tours and Travels operates airport pickup and dropping service from Itanagar to Guwahati.
Kumar assured that all the vehicles plying from his agency would be installed with GPS and other tracking system for the security of passengers.
APTTA general secretary Tarh Tang informed that many private vehicles are being used for commercial purposes, which he said was unlawful both in terms of passengers’ safety and the legal point of view.
The association urged the authority to check and verify all the documents, including address proof and police verification, of commercial vehicles’ drivers, adding that the documents should be updated with valid insurance.
The association also appealed to passengers to book tickets from authorized counters under the APTTA, and discouraged telephonic and verbal booking.
It expressed appreciation for the police for their swiftness in arresting the cabdriver who is alleged to have harassed his passengers.
