Govt will install CCTVs in all RTOs to ensure transparency: Suvendu

Kolkata: State Transport minister Suvendu Adhikari stated that in order to maintain transparency regarding issuance of driving licence and Certificate of Fitness (CF), his department has already installed CCTV cameras in 40 Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) out of 51. Such cameras will be installed in the 11 other RTOs soon.

On Thursday, during a workshop on Safe Drive Save Life (SDSL), Adhikari admitted that there are ambiguities in the qualifying process to obtain driving licence and CF of vehicles.

Adhikari told that in 2016, after he got the charge of Transport minister, he had sought data of driving licence applicants and the number of candidates who had passed the test from Burdwan RTO. After he got the information within one month, the minister found that 2,525 persons had been given driving licence out of 2550 applicants.

"Seeing the data I was stunned as I realised that it was not possible. Thus, the Transport department has decided to install CCTV cameras in the areas where driving tests are conducted and fitness of vehicles is inspected, to maintain transparency. The 11 RTOs where CCTV cameras have not been installed yet, will get them soon," said Adhikari.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Malay De on Thursday pointed out several flaws which could bring down the number of accidents if rectified. According to De, though the number of accidents has come down a lot after the commencement of SDSL, the departments related to road and transport must work harder to meet the challenge of lowering the number further.

He pointed out that in the developed countries, road signages are being installed above the road which can easily be seen from a distance. But here, road signages are installed on the side of the road. Thus, the drivers have to take their eyes off the road to see the same, which creates chances of accidents.

Also, while construction of highways, the concerned authority should keep the convenience of local residents in mind, he stated. "Often we see people residing adjacent to the highways cross the road from the middle of nowhere, which increases the number of accidents. If subways are built in close proximity keeping their movement in mind, accidents will automatically come down a lot. Concerned road construction agencies should also keep an eye on the road to detect problems before it gets damaged," said De.

He also assured that funding will not be a problem as the SDSL fund does not expire. If

a portion of the allocated money from previous year remains unused, it will automatically be added to the next year's fund.

Anuj Sharma, Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, Additional Director General (Traffic) Vivek Sahay and other senior officials of the state government were also present during the programme.