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SMILE (Selfless Movement Improving Life Everywhere), a leading social service organisation in Chennai (which does not collect or donate money as a policy), and the CCTP (Chennai City Traffic Police) have joined hands to launch a massive training programme for auto drivers in the metropolis.

As part of this programme, more than 100 SMILE volunteers and representatives from the Traffic Police Department will jointly train around one lakh auto drivers in the following aspects in the next few months.

The highlights of the programme are as follows:

1. To enhance the behavioural pattern of the drivers with the general public
2. To create awareness on the need for insurance for auto drivers in association with public sector insurance companies
3. Building the auto driver–traffic police relationship
4. To impress the need for safe driving
5. To introduce telephone connections in auto stands
6. To introduce insurance against accidents, and medical reimbursements
7. Free eye check-up for auto drivers and their families during the meeting

Every meeting will convey something important to the driver and this will help improve their livelihood and build their relationship with the Traffic Police and the general public. 

This programme is organised jointly by the Traffic Police Department and SMILE. Over a 100 SMILE volunteers are conducting this programme on the second and the fourth Sunday of every month, in over 40 centres simultaneously. Four meetings have already taken place in June and July.

The next meeting was held on August 8. The programme will go on till the end of September 2004.

It is important to note that many auto drivers have attended all the meetings and have unanimously acclaimed this welfare programme, which is the first-of-its-kind in the history of Chennai, said C N Paramasivan, founder-president, SMILE.

This programme was initiated by G Uma Ganapathy Sastry, Joint Commissioner, Traffic.

Paramasivan said, “With excellent support of the Police Department and the overwhelming response from auto drivers, we are sure this would be beneficial to the auto drivers, the traffic police and, of course, the general public who use the roads.” 

He added, “The focus of the programme is to improve the livelihood of auto drivers and to organise systems which would go a long way in reducing traffic problems and congestion pertaining to this segment.”