Union Road ministry scheme wants offenders to spend five days in proposed govt-authorised driving centres to re-obtain license, apart from fine.
New Delhi: Habitual rash drivers and those repeatedly flouting traffic rules may no longer get away with just paying a fine.
As per a proposal by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, those who commit traffic offences, which attract a fine of Rs 1,000 or more, may now have to spend five days at government-approved “driver training centres” before they can regain their licences.
The ministry is working with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to roll out a scheme that would ensure 100 such driver training centres across the country. The proposal, which has been approved by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and state traffic police forces, is likely to come into effect across the country by the next year.
“We plan to roll out the scheme after opening 100 driver training centres, authorised by the government, across the states. The technology-enabled centres are likely to be fully operational by March 2019,” Manish Kumar, managing director and chief executive officer of NSDC, told ThePrint.
“These centres will also test driving skills through sensor-enabled mechanism after training an individual on certain parameters. Once one is fined, getting their licence back would depend on their performance at these centres,” Kumar said. NSDC is a private-public partnership body between the government and the private sector created with the objective to promote skill development in the country.
The scheme for opening the driver training centres was launched by Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in March this year. The minister had announced that at least one model driver training centre would be set up in each district of a state or union territory.
Training, re-training to reduce road accidents
The government also hopes that the initiative would ensure that only genuine trained drivers get licences. “The government through the NSDC is aiming to train a large number of people along with re-training unruly drivers, with a special focus on a training course for drivers who carry dangerous, hazardous goods or drive heavy motor vehicles,” Kumar said.
Kumar added that the initiative to train people with driving skills would also increase employment opportunities. As per the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, there is a shortage of 22 lakh drivers in the country. “Ola and Uber have highlighted their concerns and have requested the need for trained drivers. The scheme would also help people in exploring the job opportunities in the driving sector,” Kumar said.