Hyderabad: The Telangana state transport department expects the Centre to reduce the minimum educational qualification required for obtaining a driving licence for transport vehicles. Joint transport commissioner J. Pandurang Naik said an applicant seeking a licence to drive non-transport vehicles must be able to read and write. “For the transport driving licence, the applicant must have a minimum qualification of Class VIII,” he said. This rule is leading to many transport vehicle drivers not applying for licences, or operating vehicles with non-transport licences.
Hyderabad has 404 private autorickshaws but 90,518 driving licences were issued for non-transport autorickshaws. This includes licences for 17,867 three-wheeler goods vehicles. For 94,423 autorickshaws, 48,163 driving licences were issued. Traffic DCP A.V. Ranganath said the police found that many drivers were driving transport autorickshaws with non-transport licences. “Most drivers of cabs, medium and heavy goods vehicles operate vehicles with non-transport driving licence as they lack educational qualifications as per norms,” he said. Following a series of reviews on the matter, then commissioner of transport department Sandeep Kumar Sultania had sent proposals to the Centre to ease the education qualification norm.
An official from the transport department said that similar proposals were sent by other state governments and the Centre had considered the proposals last year. “In the 22nd Motor Vehicle Amendments, the Union Cabinet committee approved our proposals and we are expecting the government will pass the Bill in the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament,” the official said. The official said the Centre may impose a new condition that the applicant must have semi-literacy in reading, writing and digital aspects. The applicant should appear for computer based driving tests, he said.
8,000 caught without DLs
Around 8,000 youngsters were caught driving without a driver’s licence in just a year in Hyderabad. Police is now seek imprisonment for those driving without licence, apart from fines. RTA and police officials on Saturday decided to file chargesheets against owners who give vehicles to underage drivers or those without licence. With a chargesheet, the magistrate can imprison the vehicle owner for up to three months. The city police is also meeting a body of magistrates to ensure imprisonment for the vehicle owner in each cases. Senior officials said there was a provision for arrest and imprisonment of drivers and owners for driving a vehicle without licence under Sections 180 and 181 of Motor Vehicle Act, 1988.
“In serious cases, magistrates are sending offenders to prison. The new move is to ensure prison for owners who give their vehicles to unlicenced or minor drivers,” said DCP, Traffic, A.V. Ranganath. Section 180 says “whoever, being the owner or person in charge of a motor vehicle, causes or permits, any other person who does not have licence to drive the vehicle shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to Rs 1,000, or with both.” The police is holding coulselling sessions for the parents of underaged drivers, cautioning them about the consequences of letting their kids drive without a licence.
