Government to streamline issue of Driving Licence:Cheluvarayaswamy

Mysore, Mar 25: Karnataka Transport Minister Cheluvarayaswamy today said the Government will streamline the issue of driving licences for all categories of vehicles in the state to reducee accidents due to negligence by drivers.

In the first phase, major Regional Transort Offices would issuelinces after technical tests along with regular tests, he told newsmen here.The system would be extended to other RTOs in a phased manner.

The model adopted by the State Road Transport Corporation would be adopted, he added. This was necessary to reduce the road accidents caused mostly due to carelessness of drivers. The transport department also planned to establish the test tracks in the various transport office areas to provide testing purpose.

He said Transport Department would not be a mere revenue collection department but also extend necessry facilities, including basic ameneties to people who visit the RTOs. It was also proposed computerise the regional transport offices in the state.

He said vacancies of 150 inspectors in the various RTO offices in the state would be filled up soon and necessary fiancial approval already sought from the government.

Referring to hike in the bus fares in the state Mr Cheluvaraya Swamy said that though there was a proposal to increase the busfare, the Government had taken decision not to hike the fare for the present. KSRTC had already incurred loss of Rs 78 crore due to hike in diesel rates. However, the loss would be adjusted through subsidy to the Corporation he added.

He also said that nearly 1000 new buses would be available in the Hubli and Gulbarga divisions soon.

Referring to corruption in RTO Offices Mr Cheluvarayaswamy said corruption could be weeded out only with the cooperation of the public. Earlier inagurating day long seminar on the golden hour and accident truama rule of police, Public and Doctors, Jointly organised by the Mysore city traffic police and Hosmat Hospital, Bangalore, here he said the government would take serious note on the issue and provide necessary help and also organise a state level seminar to promote awareness among the people about the accident and other related problems.

He said necessary the rules and regulations would be relaxed to save the victims of the accidents. 80 per cent of the accident would be occured due to drivers fault. Even the government had issued a circular relaxing rules that impact those who bring accident victims to the hospitals and avoid presence of doctors in the court in accident cases.

UNI