BENGALURU: While the official deadline to install Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTD) and emergency panic buttons in all public service vehicles like buses, cabs (including those run by aggregators), maxi cabs, school buses and all goods vehicles with national permits, ended on September 10, representatives from the cab, bus and truck unions called upon the government to relax the move, stating that it has created undue financial burden. They said without the devices, RTOs are refusing to give clearance to hundreds of vehicles that head for fitness tests every day.
After the Nirbhaya incident, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) mandated installation of VLTDs and panic buttons in public service vehicles, and the state transport department had set a deadline of September 10 to get the devices affixed from empanelled vendors. During an emergency, when the panic button is pushed, it will alert the command centre in Bengaluru, following which a team will respond by tracking the vehicle’s location, contact the driver and owner, and depending on the situation, alert police.
Karnataka State Travel Operators Association president K Radhakrishna Holla said, “All the new vehicles are fitted with the VLTD and the panic buttons. Directing all the old vehicles to fit them is unfair. Everyone has a smartphone and it can be of greater help in emergencies than panic buttons.”
Explaining the cost factors in affixing the device, he said, “We have to get the devices fitted from the vendors identified by the transport department only. We had to spend around Rs 18,000 to fix it in one of our buses, while the device in the market costs Rs 4,000 or less.”
GR Shanmugappa, president of the Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents Association, questioned the need for such devices in all vehicles, including trucks. “Transport is a subject listed in the concurrent list and the state transport department has the discretion to follow or reject the Centre’s order. The rule is not made mandatory anywhere in India, except Karnataka. The devices from the empanelled vendors cost thrice the market rate,” he claimed.
Of the 6,04,863 vehicles that has to affix the devices, not even 10,000 vehicles have fitted it, as per officials. Additional Commissioner for Transport (Administration) Umashankar B was not available for comments.