The district administration has sanctioned land for setting up a heavy vehicle driver training institute sanctioned in the 2013-14 budget.
The government had earmarked Rs 30 crore for the purpose. The institute will be established at an estimated cost of Rs 11 crore. In his recent order, a copy of which is available with Express, Deputy Commissioner N V Prasad approved the sanction of 9.36 acres of land at survey number 73/1 at Sindagi village in Gulbarga taluk to the Transport Department. Prasad said he sanctioned the land within two months of receipt of a communication from the transport commissioner.
The order states that the institute is sanctioned in Gulbarga district as the number of road accidents involving both light and heavy motor vehicles is high here and the region is lagging in development. RTO Eshwar Awati told Express that the institute with state-of-the-art facilities will train those who drive heavy motor vehicles. The government was apprised of the need for the institute in Gulbarga as some driving schools were issuing false certificates to candidates without proper training in heavy motor driving. This had become disastrous as such drivers were involved in many accidents.
In 2012-13, the number of road accidents which occurred in the district are 1,439. Of them, 252 were fatal and 1,287 were non-fatal. The RTO said the work on the institute will begin soon.
“Once the institute is established, we will be able to test drivers in computerised driving tracks and issue license. It will also train them in driving properly,” said Awati.