Background checks delay Kochi police plan to issue IDs to private bus staff

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The Kochi City police’s plan to issue identity cards to private bus employees after thorough background verification is likely to take more time. The police have completed verification of only around 380 of the nearly 4,000 bus workers, even as the initial deadline to complete the process by September-end has passed. The police have received 1,383 applications for verification as of Saturday since the plan was launched earlier last month. The police launched the background verification drive in response to a series of incidents of criminal behaviour involving private bus employees of late.

The special branch of the police is conducting the verification based on the applications received by the traffic wing. An officer involved in the process said a large number of bus employees working in the city are from other districts, making it a time-consuming affair.

A traffic police officer, meanwhile, said an alleged reluctance among a section of bus operators to submit the details of their employees has caused the delay in completing the drive. The officer said they expect the rest of the workers to submit their details within two weeks through their respective operators and associations. The police estimate that around 4,000 people are employed on buses operating in or passing through the city. “Some of them may be readying the required documents for verification, while those with a criminal history are not expected to submit their details. The verification drive will be completed by the end of this month,” an officer said.

K.B. Suneer, president of the Ernakulam Private Bus Operators Association, claimed that most of the workers associated with the forum have already submitted their details. Another bus operator said only a small number of people work permanently on buses and others may not be keen to undergo police verification.

The police, meanwhile, claimed to have stepped up their enforcement drives against unruly behaviour and traffic rule violations by private bus employees. The police said around 2,003 cases were booked between September 9 and 30. While 41 cases were registered over alleged drunken driving, 71 drivers were booked for dangerous driving. District Police Chief (Kochi city) Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar said a similar drive would continue in the coming days.

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