A week ago I was visiting for my ANC checkup. I looked for a taxi to commute from Tripureshwor Chowk to Norvic Hospital.

A cabbie came and I asked him to please drop me at the hospital. He asked, how much I would give but I asked him to go on meter. He refused to go demanding Rs. 200. I said that it was too much for such a short distance, but he got rude and spoke in a foul manner.

How can people take such an irresponsible attitude towards their work and humanity seeing a lady in an advanced stage of pregnancy asking him to drop her to a hospital?

A thought came to my mind about reading in a daily newspaper about a complaint mechanism against cabbies overcharging their customers and refusing to go on meter.

I immediately noted the number of the taxi. After walking a few steps I got another taxi with the driver agreeing to go on meter. On my way to the hospital I dialed 103, the number which I remembered from the newspaper to file complaints.

A man picked up the phone and I asked whether this was the number to complain against the erring cabbies who cheat their customers, the voice replied yes. He asked me to provide all the details of the taxi -- the number plate, which side the taxi went, how much he tried to charge, etc.

I was also told if needed they would call me to verify the details and I expected a prompt response from the traffic police. I thought that they would be punishing the cheating taxi driver. But I do not know if stern action was taken against him.

The taxi driver taking me to the hospital said sister it’s of no use complaining, nothing will be done, you won’t be receiving any call and this is fake. I replied that I had read about this number in the newspaper in which the traffic has urged the public to file complaints against the taxi drivers who were cheating their passengers.

It’s been about a week now and I still wonder whether any action was taken against the taxi driver. Will I receive a call ever? Was the other taxi driver right when he said it’s of no use? Will this system of overcharging ever come to an end?

Should there be no system of keeping a meter in a taxi, will I be willing to complain again if I get in similar situations or does such mechanism exist?

Maybe only our cabbies and traffic police will have the answer to this.