Haryana signs MoU with MUL to set up Road Safety Inst

New Delhi, Nov 22: In a bid to curb growing traffic woes and to provide 'Surakshit Raahen - Surakshit Log', the Haryana Government has signed an MoU with Maruti Udyog Ltd (MUL) for setting up a Road Safety Institute at Rohtak and Bahadurgarh each.

The MoU was signed by Haryana's Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Transport, Mr Ramendra Jakhu and MUL Managing Director Jagdish Khattar at Haryana Bhawan in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here today.

Mr Hooda asserted that with 15,000 trained drivers coming out of the institute every year, it will not only save the life of the people but also generate employment opportunity.

The Haryana Government would bear the cost to the tune of Rs 50 crore on the two said institutes, he said adding that another institute will be set up at Kaithal in collaboration with Ashok Leyland.

Haryana Transport Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala, Parliamentary Secretary, Transport Rao Dan Singh, Haryana Resident Commissioner P K Mahapatra and Haryana State Transport Controller Saroj Siwatch were also present on the occasion.

Mr Hooda said that these institutes will be empowered to give driving licences to their students which will be of international standard. He said that the training institute will not only train new drivers but there will also be reindorsement programme for commercial vehicle drivers as well as Haryana Roadways' drivers.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Khattar said these institutes will be of international standards. Maruti has already sent their team to France and UK to understand the model. After studying their model, the final curiculum will be framed keeping in mind the Indian conditions, he added.

Mr Surjewala said that Haryana government is determined for a complete revamp of transport system in the state. These institutes would bring out qualitative improvement in the driving skills and will also aim at bringing professionalism in their services. The total cost of setting up of each institute would be over Rs 25 crore.

Giving information about the facilities in these institutes, Mr Jakhu said that each institute would have classrooms, an auditorium, a library, eye-testing and health checkup room, dispensary and a trainees' hostel. Long driving tracks with facilities like electronic signals, sign boards and road markings would also be provided.

He said that every year 3.14 lakh motor vehicles are registered in the state. There are in all 31.39 lakh motor vehicles in the state out of which 28.02 lakh are non-transport while the remaining 3.37 lakh are transport vehicles.

The road infrastructure had not developed in proportion to the increase in the number of motor vehicles, he said.

UNI