Starting April, automated driving test centres to be operational at all RTOs in Odisha
BHUBANESWAR: In an attempt to bring in transparency, the Transport department has planned to set up automated driving test stations (ADTS) at all regional transport offices (RTOs) in Odisha.
The ADTS in 38 RTOs are expected to be operational by April this year. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has developed a software to make the entire driving license test process automated.
As part of the project, high-end cameras will be installed which will capture every detail of an applicant during his/her driving license test. The software will declare the results based on the details captured by the cameras and will either pass or fail an applicant based on his/her skills.
As of now, an applicant appears for a driving license test in the presence of a motor vehicle inspector (MVI). He has to ride/drive on serpentine, gradient and S/8 tracks as part of the test.
“In the past, there have been allegations that the applicants failed in the tests as they did not bribe the MVIs. Though such claims are false and baseless, but the new system will ensure no human interference and provide error free and quick results of driving license tests,” said a senior Transport department official. The department has also started the process to introduce an automated system to check the fitness of the vehicles, said sources. In another development, Transport department has started providing training to drivers interested to drive buses under LAccMI and Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) services.
“We noticed that in most of the road accidents, untrained drivers were involved. To ensure the safety of passengers travelling in LAccMI and CRUT buses, it was decided to provide one-month training to interested applicants at driving training institutes in Chhatia, Berhampur and Bonai,” said a Transport department official.
The training is free of cost for all the applicants and a similar driving training institute is expected to be operational in Keonjhar this March.