Bengal taxi association official harassed by rogue cabbies

Kolkata, July 19 (IANS) Rogue cab drivers have been driving passengers crazy in the eastern metropolis with refusals, rigged fare meters and offensive behaviour. In what could be dubbed as dark humour, a top official of one of West Bengal's largest taxi associations recently got a full-blown taste of the menace, prompting him to lodge a police complaint.

Out on the streets Friday to see the real picture for himself, Bengal Taxi Association general secretary Bimal Guha was in for a surprise.

After boarding a cab from Park Circus in the city centre to Lansdowne in south of the city, Guha found out the driver refused to provide a bill as he had no license.

"He revealed whenever the cops catch him, he slips in Rs. 100 to escape," Guha said, admitting many cabbies do not have licenses.

Later in the day, on his return journey, Guha had to face a series of "inappropriate comments" from a cab driver for demanding a bill. Moreover, after much persuasion, the bill that was finally handed over to him turned out to be fake as it did not have the vehicle's number.

"He said 'why are you creating unnecessary trouble by asking for a bill... you are a worthless fellow'. After I got the bill, I realised it was fake. But by then, the taxi was gone and so I had to file a police complaint against an unknown person," Guha said.A

The official, in both cases, kept his designation a secret.

Guha accused police of being in cahoots with these rogue drivers and taking bribes from them and said he would go out to do a check again soon.

Recently, there were reports of a taxi driver molesting a woman passenger and another assaulting two male passengers.