New Delhi:
An altercation between a female and a male taxi driver over a passenger at the pickup point of the domestic airport on Tuesday afternoon has exposed the lax security in the highly sensitive area and revealed that four CCTV cameras covering the location are out of order.
The matter came to light when the airport police sought to examine CCTV footage of Terminal 1 B, after Ruchita Parkar alleged that Abdul Jaffar Khan assaulted her, hurled abuses and made lewd gestures when she was talking to a foreigner who was seeking a ride. The relevant department however informed the cops that the cameras had not been working for the past four days.
Dilip Kumar Taral, senior police inspector of the airport police station said, "We came to know that the CCTV cameras at the pickup point of the domestic airport are not working after a fight broke out between two taxi drivers over a passenger on Tuesday afternoon. We requested the GVK department for CCTV footage, but were informed that due to technical reasons, the cameras have not been working for the past four days."
Taral added that a letter was sent to the secretary and general manager of GVK's administration department informing them about the matter.
"We called an urgent meeting on Friday to discuss the safety of passengers in this highly sensitive area," Taral said.
The incident
According to Parkar, she had an argument with some Cool Cab drivers, after which one driver continued to pass obscene remarks and make lewd gestures. When she asked him to stop, he allegedly attacked her, threw her down and assaulted her. Two other lady drivers came to her aid, but were pushed and threatened by a mob of taxi drivers.
The police arrived at the spot, after which an FIR was registered. The police arrested Khan, booked him under various sections of IPC, and released him on bail.
Preeti Sharma Menon, managing director of Viira Cabs said, "The taxi driver assaulted Parkar, passed obscene remarks and made lewd gestures. We registered a complaint against the driver on July 3. The police said they would examine the CCTV footage to ascertain who is responsible for the fight and then take action. Surprisingly, we came to know from the police that the CCTV cameras covering the spot are not working."
The other side
While the police claim that four CCTV cameras have not been working, Shree Niwasan, GVK general manager says only three are out of order.
"Three CCTV cameras covering the pickup point of the taxi stand have not been working due to technical reasons for the past three days. These will be repaired as soon as possible," he said.