Haryana signs MoU with Ashok Leyland for driving school

Chandigarh, Mar 20 (UNI) Haryana Transport Department today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ashok Leyland Ltd to set up a modern Driver Training Institute at village Garhi Padla in district Kaithal, the third such institute in the state.

The State Transport Department has already signed MoU with Maruti Udyog to set up two such institutes at Bahadurgarh and Rohtak.

The MoU was signed by Haryana Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Transport, Ramendra Jakhu and Executive Director of Ashok Leyland J N Amrolia in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Transport Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala and Parliamentary Secretary, Transport, Rao Dan Singh here.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hooda said that the State Government had decided to set up three modern driver training institutes.

These would not only impart training to a total of 10,000 trainees every year about safe driving, but also help in reducing consumption of fuel, he added.

Mr Hooda said the state had 31.5 lakh vehicles and on an average 3.25 lakh vehicles were being added every year. The driver training institutes would ensure safety of the people on roads as more than 11 lakh people die because of road accidents all over the world.

Most of the accidents occurred due to lack of driving skills.

Transport Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said that five per cent seats of the driver training institute would be reserved for the inhabitants of village Garhi Padla as they have donated land free of cost for the institute.

The Transport Minister said that according to a survey sponsored by the Planning Commission of India in 2002, the total loss due to accidents was Rs 55,000 crore, which was 3 per cent of the GDP of the country.

He said that the Transport Department had initiated partnership with private companies for the safety of the people.

Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Transport, Ramendra Jakhu said a special scheme on road safety has been included in the next Five Year Plan and as compared to the outlay of Rs 300 crore in the tenth Plan, the eleventh Five Year Plan would have an outlay of Rs 595 crore on road safety.

He said it was a matter of concern that road accidents claimed lives of 92,000 people in the country and in Haryana 3500 people had died last year due to road accidents.

UNI