THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Transport Minister KB Ganesh Kumar has approved the demand for more driving tests to address the backlog, following conciliatory talks with representatives of the All Kerala Driving School Workers Union (CITU). The agreement includes conducting 40 additional tests at centres with backlogs of more than 3000 applications.
Previously, the minister opposed increasing the number of tests, citing concerns over compromising test quality. However, under the new agreement, each officer can now conduct up to 40 tests per day at a centre. Of these, 25 tests are allocated for new applicants, 10 for those who failed the previous test, and 5 for emergency cases.
The talks were led by CPM leader Kadakampally Surendran, with the trade union holding protests for the past 15 days. In addition to increasing the number of tests, the minister agreed to extend the life of test vehicles from 18 to 22 years and relaxed the requirement for driving instructors to be present at the test ground.
Earlier, various driving school owners' associations protested against the driving test reforms introduced by the minister from May 1 to 15. These associations have challenged the reforms in the High Court, which is set to consider the case on Wednesday, June 26.