THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The decision of Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar to limit the number of driving tests to 50 per day, caused inconvenience to hundreds of applicants who booked their slots at least 30 days in advance. A majority of them came to know about the change only after they arrived at the test ground on Thursday morning. The decision also put the officers in a spot as they had to select the first 50 applicants out of the total numbers from the 86 test centres.
The learners and driving school instructors protested the arbitrary decision and threatened to boycott the test. In the absence of a circular, the Motor Vehicle Inspectors and the Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors who conducted the test struggled to explain the changes or suggest a solution to applicants affected by the latest decision.
As the protest intensified, the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) withdrew the direction and the test resumed by 10.30am.
The minister himself clarified that no directions were given to limit the tests. “No such decisions were taken during the meeting of the regional transport officers on Wednesday. It came out as a suggestion and not an order. However, a group of officers leaked the information, giving rise to the confusions. They will be held accountable,” said the minister.