Govt tightens licence granting process

The state transport department has tightened up the process of giving driving licence to applicants by introducing a proper mechanism of driving test.

This comes after it was found that “unbelievably” maximum numbers of ineligible applicants were managing to get driving licences. The stringent measure was taken to ensure that only eligible applicants get licence.

According to experts, the step was essential as at present, plying of high-end cars on city roads is quite common.

Most of the cars are fitted with above 3000 cc engines and automatic gear. Thus, a special training or a practice of driving for many years is essential.

In many cases, it was found that teenage boys from “affluent classes” drive such cars without having any proper training and it leads to fatal accidents.

On Sunday morning, a youth was killed after being hit by a Mercedes car on Hazra road. A few months ago, reckless driving of an Audi had claimed life of an officer of the Indian Air Force on Red Road. Again, three youth were killed when two expensive cars collided head-on on the beach in Mandarmani.

“Thus, ensuring proper test before giving licence is the only way out before any amendments come in the new Motor Vehicles Act to check fatal accidents due to reckless driving by untrained drivers of high-end cars,” the expert said.

It may be mentioned that Bengal government has launched its campaign Safe Drive Save Life to create awareness among people to reduce road accidents and the rate of accidents had gone down considerably.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Mukul Roy, who is in the parliamentary standing committee of transport, will place Bengal’s demand of allowing individual state to have its own Motor Vehicles Act before the Centre on September 21.

Suvendu Adhikari, the state transport minister, said that one particular act cannot be applicable in transport sector for different terrain.

“It is quite impractical that rules and regulation for motor vehicles that ply in hilly areas like Kashmir would be same as that in Tamil Nadu. The terrain is different. Thus it is quite obvious that the nature of incidents and accidents would also be different. Then how will a similar norm for every region be applicable,” he said.

“The demand had been raised earlier and now our MP Mukul Roy will be placing it before the Centre on September 21,” said Adhikari adding it would help the states to fight with the menace of road accident in a better way.