QR auto safety scheme fails; SOS alerts ignored
Months later, with incomplete coverage, technical glitches, and lax enforcement, the schemes leaves women exposed to the very risks it sought to prevent.
A TOI check of the system revealed its failures firsthand. Multiple scanned QR codes and pressed SOS buttons received no follow-up responses from GCP control room. In one instance, the auto driver received the call instead of the complainant.
"If the problem is with the driver, what is the point of calling him and not the woman in distress," asked D Archana of Korukkupet, who tried to complain about a driver's reckless driving. "I reached home safely only with my brother's help. How could a scheme fail so completely?"
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Data further shows that of 90,000 stickers printed, only 50,000 were affixed.
"We received 13,000 SOS calls and will try to act on pending cases and track autos without stickers," said a GCP officer. Despite claims that 70,000 autos were covered, tracking data remains inconsistent. The second phase is indefinitely delayed, and local police stations, unable to trace non-compliant autos, have passed stickers to traffic units, highlighting poor coordination.
Drivers cite practical lapses. S P Rajesh, an auto driver from Saidapet said, "QR codes tear easily. Many drivers work without uniforms or documents and earn 700 a day. Some even run autos with expired fitness certificates or after multiple ownership transfers."
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