NEW DELHI, July 16: Taxi owners in the Capital are a disgruntled lot following a recent circular issued by the Delhi Traffic police refusing permission for water and electric supply as well as telephone connections to taxi stands and free parking zones.Other significant aspects of the circular include: compulsory display of a ``Police Reliability Certificate'' on DLT taxis and maintenance of a log book by taxi stand owners with details of taxi movements.While senior traffic police officials say that the circular is aimed at preventing ``anyone from claiming a permanent right over a site and checking crime'', several taxi stand owners told Express Newsline that there has been a sharp decline in their business over the past one month.``We can understand the clause about water and electricity, though we would have preferred otherwise. There is no justification for withdrawing telephone connections,'' says Manga, who runs a taxi stand in north-west Delhi. The circular which was issued by the administration branch of the Traffic Department on June 15 also disallows the construction of any permanent or temporary structures at taxi stands and free parking zones.Officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) have also been requested to do away with the Teh Bazaari system: allowing parking space at the rate of Rs 2 per vehicle.The civic bodies, however, still retain the final say when allocating land for stands to taxi owners after considering all the possible legal aspects.A senior police official, requesting anonymity, says: ``Our only objections are about individual ownership or taxi stands which hinder smooth flow of traffic. As far as telephone connections and water and electric supply are concerned, we have seen on several occasions that these become an excuse for ownership disputes.''The stipulations about the compulsory ``Police Reliability Certificates'' and the log books were issued after to assist detection of crime, says an official. ``A Police Reliability Certificate will not only reassure the passenger about taxi driver's credibility, it will also help the police in identifying bad characters.''He adds: ``The details of the taxi movements and the identity of the user will also serve a similar purpose because there have been several occasions when criminals have been found to use taxis for committing robberies and other crimes.''
