BJP accuses Delhi govt of ‘panic button scam’; AAP rejects claims

The BJP Tuesday accused the AAP-Delhi government of “looting” taxi and bus operators in the name of mandatory installation of panic buttons for women’s safety. The Delhi government has rejected the claims as baseless.

During a press conference, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Bidhuri alleged: “The Kejriwal government made panic buttons mandatory in buses and taxis in 2019… Each taxi driver was charged Rs 9,000 a year and each bus driver Rs 22,000. This has been collected for the past four years. There are about 10,000 buses in Delhi; Rs. 22 crore is being collected from their drivers while there are 1.12 lakh registered taxis with each being charged Rs 9,000, coming to Rs 100.80 crore. A Rs 500 crore scam has been carried out in the name of panic button for four years.”

The Delhi government said the LoP’s claim was “totally baseless”, adding that safety and security of passengers had always been its utmost priority. It also clarified that panic buttons, when pressed by passengers, immediately trigger an automated alarm that is received at the command control centres located at Shastri Park and Kashmere Gate, respectively, adding that appropriate action is taken on any alerts received from the panic button