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Kalimpong, April 25: In an effort to make the town more tourist friendly, the Kalimpong Main Line Taxi Drivers’ Welfare Association has started issuing photo-identity cards to porters of the motor stand area.

The association, along with six other vehicle organisations, will provide identification badges, complete with serial number, to all porters at the stand. It also hopes to frame a code of conduct for the porters and a standard fare chart, on the basis of which tourists will be charged.

General secretary of the association Binod Moktan said: “We do not want the tourists coming to this place to be hassled by unscrupulous people. At a meeting with police and other vehicle associations, we were authorised to issue the identity cards.”

“The database of information along with the details of the respective porters will be given to the police so that they can easily take action in cases of theft and other misdemeanour on the part of the porters,” he added.

Identity cards have already been issued to 24 of the 40 porters working in the motor stand area.

“As soon as the tourists arrive at the Kalimpong motor stand, they are mobbed by porters hollering to be hired. Besides, there are also complaints of luggage being lost and some of the porters being drunk. Now, the tourists merely have to quote the number on the identity cards of the porters and the erring porter can be traced immediately,” said Moktan.

The association is also planning to introduce a code of conduct that will ensure that porters do not drink while on duty which, in turn will reduce harassment of tourists.

“We will not tolerate any unruly behaviour from porters. First, we will try to reason with the defaulter, but if the person concerned does not mend his ways, we will ask the police to step in and take stern action against him,” said Moktan.
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