THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid state-wide protests by driving schools, 117 people participated in the new format of tests, according to the Motor Vehicles Department. 52 people won the test.
Driving tests were disrupted across the state for the past ten days owing to the protest by the schools against the new format. The joint forum of organisations of driving schools took out a protest march to the state secretariat on Monday. The demonstrators, under the banner of All-Kerala Motor Driving School Instructors and Workers Association, urged the government to return to the old format.
The MVD conducted driving tests at different centres amid police protection. The department, however, did not release district-wise data of candidates who attended tests.
In Thiruvananthapuram, unruly scenes were witnessed at the Muttathara testing ground. Protesting driving school owners and staffers shouted slogans and tried to disrupt the test. All three people who participated in the test at Muttathara failed. Of them a girl attended four-wheeler test and two others for two-wheeler test.
The girl was the daughter of an MVD inspector and the protesters tried to disrupt her test citing the poor condition of the vehicle. The girl was blocked by the protestors when she arrived at the ground to attend the H-test. They alleged that the vehicle met with an accident during the road test conducted before the H-test.