BHUBANESWAR: In its drive to ensure women passengers’ security, the Commissionerate of Police (CP) on Monday inducted 51 auto-rickshaws to the Pink Auto fleet.
The new vehicles were flagged off by Police Commissioner Dr RP Sharma and City Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena from the Traffic police station in the Capital.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sharma appreciated the contribution of Pink Auto drivers towards passengers’ convenience and safety. After the fresh induction, the strength of Pink Auto fleet has gone up to 351 vehicles.
“Auto drivers, who are major stakeholders in the project, have delivered to our expectations in the last one year since the project was rolled out by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in June 2014,” Dr Sharma said.
Traffic wing of CP collects feedback from the citizens on a regular basis to evaluate the project. Barring a few incidents, the overall performance of the Pink Auto drivers can be rated above satisfactory, the Police Commissioner said.
President of Odisha Auto Association Subash Singh urged the Police Commissioner to facilitate training of around 1,000 auto-rickshaw drivers to accord them the Pink Auto driver status.
Among others, Director of Paradeep Phosphates Ltd DS Ravindra Raju, Bhubaneswar Auto Association president Bana Mohanty, senior police officials and traffic volunteers were present.