NEW DELHI: At least 1.65 lakh public service vehicles are equipped with vehicle tracking devices and emergency buttons in the country. Maharashtra (49, 172) and Delhi (35, 508) are at the top of the list of states having exceptionally high numbers of transportations holding the tracking system. They are followed by Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh.
According to the data of the last three years placed by the ministry of road transport and Highway (MoRTH) in Lok Sabha this week, there are 17, 369 tracking device-enabled public service vehicles in Uttarakhand while Chhattisgarh has 16, 603 such means of transport. With 14, 369 vehicles, Himachal Pradesh stands at the 5th position.
The MoRTH issued a notification for mandatory installation of a vehicle location tracking device and emergency buttons in all public service vehicles except two-wheelers in November 2016, which came into effect in April 2018. Various states and stakeholders apprised the ministry about difficulties in implementing fitment vehicle location tracking devices and panic buttons due to a lack of command and control centres to monitor and track the vehicles. Then, the ministry mandated the installation of the device and emergency button for new public service vehicles registered on and after January 1, 2019.
Rajya Sabha MP of Samajwadi Party (SP) Uday Pratap Singh has sought to know about the details of steps taken for tracking of passenger service vehicles using GPS for the safety of women, numbers of vehicles fitted with GPS tracking, guidelines to strengthen the tracking system.