HYDERABAD: The new driving licence guidelines, which facilitate the private entities to conduct the tests, as mandated by the Union government were supposed to have come into effect on June 1.
In Telangana, however, there is no sign of the new system being implemented as the transport department has not received even a single application from the private stakeholders to establish the new accredited Driving Training Centres (DTC).
Sources told TNIE that the eligibility criteria, which primarily necessitates the trainer to have a piece of land to set up the centre, might be challenging for the applicants to meet.
“This is the reason why nobody has come forward to establish these centres in Hyderabad,” source said.
As per the Central Vehicle Motor (CMV) rules, the private entities are required to have at least a minimum of one acre of land, in addition to the required infrastructure and qualified workforce, to set up a DTC.
According to the new norms, people who apply for driving licence are no longer required to undergo a driving test at the Regional Transport Office (RTO). Instead, the driving test will be conducted at these accredited private driving schools and the applicants will receive a certificate after clearing the test at these DTCs, which they can use to obtain the licence from the RTO.
As per the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the guidelines will simplify and expedite the process of obtaining a licence.
According to RTO officials, there are around 200 training schools in the GHMC limits. Those who run these schools have to make an initial payment of Rs 10,000 to the transport department and this licence is renewable after every five years.
While the amount to obtain a license to set up an accredited DTC is not mentioned in the MoRTH guidelines, sources said it is around Rs 50,000. For most of the private stakeholders, it might be tough to own or lease a land considering the exorbitant rates in Hyderabad.
“Even if they want to take land on lease, it costs a lot. So why will they think of shifting from the existing system unless it benefits them? The land in districts would be relatively cheaper than in Hyderabad but the business will not be that good in those areas,” said a source, adding that while the process of obtaining a driving licence would be smoother for people, they may have to shell out more money than they do now.
Currently, one has to pay Rs 1,785 to acquire a four-wheeler driving licence, including the learner’s, in Hyderabad and Rs 1,335 for a two-wheeler driving licence. According to sources, there is also lack of clarity regarding the fee to be charged by the DTCs.
“There is no clarity over the fee to be collected and also whether it will go the government or DTC operators. It can lead to non-uniformity in the amount charged from the applicants,” sources added.
For scientific and systematic training
The Union government came up with the new rules to make the driving training scientific and systematic through the accredited driving training centres which are to be set up and operated by private companies.