Mumbai cabbies have sought extension of the seat-belt deadline till year-end as many of them seem to have removed the rear seatbelts and are in the process of reinstalling them. Also, if sitting in a cab, the onus of wearing seat belts in cabs will be on the passenger and not the cab driver, and they will be fined.

“As per the Mumbai police order itself, it will be passengers who will be responsible for their safety of wearing a seatbelt. Many of our cabbies had removed the rear seatbelts, but all of them are installing them now all over again. However, seat belts are not immediately available in market, and we have requested car manufacturers to supply them. This is the reason we have sought extension of the time limit and deadline to wear seatbelts up to December 31,” Mumbai Taximen’s Union general secretary Anthony Quadros told mid-day.