Your driving licence is in for a major makeover. In the next few months, it will become like your passport or voter I-card - proof of your national identity. In a sweeping reform, the Centre will soon issue a gazette notification making it mandatory for all state transport authorities to issue the 'Indian Union Driving Licence'.
How will this help? The idea is to clamp down on traffic violations that often lead to fatal accidents. Every year, 130,000 people die on India's roads; 80% of the accidents are attributed to errant drivers. Many of who are back behind the wheel within days because they have multiple licences from different state transport authorities.
Now, all this will end. New driving licences would be made in the name of the Union of India, though the issuing authority will remain the state transport departments. A central database of all driving licences and registered vehicles will ensure there's no duplication. "This data will be accessed by all regional and district transport authorities and violators would be caught,"says an official in the surface transport ministry, which has prepared the National Register with the help of the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The new driving licence itself has been designed by NID.
So, at the click of a mouse, officials will have the complete low down on offences committed by a driver since the time the licence was issued to him/her. Rohit Baluja, president of the Institute for Road Traffic Education, says this single move will help streamline the licensing system. "Once you have everything online, all violations by the driver will be recorded. "This becomes all the more important, he says, in view of "the proposal where every subsequent offence by a driver will attract greater punishment."
An expert committee on the Motor Vehicle Act has recommended the point system to curb repeat offences. Under it, points awarded for an offence shall remain on record for three years from the date of issue of the licence. If the offences cross the limit of 12 points, the person's driving licence will be suspended for a year. If the same driver accumulates 12 points again, his licence will be cancelled for five years.
Baluja says the practice of issuing driving licences in the name of the republic is followed in all developed countries. He believes the centralized system will make state authorities more accountable because "the minute any discrepancy is detected, the officials concerned can be held responsible".
Also, people would be able to apply online for their driving licence, registration certificate and transfer of ownership. "By this year-end, the portal will facilitate online payment of road taxes, various fees and transport charges,"says Mahesh Chandra, deputy director of NIC.
Access to the centralized database on registered vehicles will help the police track down vehicles that have been stolen or used to commit crimes.
There's also a national security angle. Sources say it took the police three hours to identify the explosive-laden scooter used in the Zaveri Bazaar blast in Mumbai on July 13. "Earlier, it would have taken two-three days. But this time they had a database to work with,"says an official. The portal is likely to get operational by this month-end. So the next time an Indian city is attacked, tracking the terror vehicle down should hopefully be only a mouse click away.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/-Straight-drive/articleshow/9341032.cms
How will this help? The idea is to clamp down on traffic violations that often lead to fatal accidents. Every year, 130,000 people die on India's roads; 80% of the accidents are attributed to errant drivers. Many of who are back behind the wheel within days because they have multiple licences from different state transport authorities.
Now, all this will end. New driving licences would be made in the name of the Union of India, though the issuing authority will remain the state transport departments. A central database of all driving licences and registered vehicles will ensure there's no duplication. "This data will be accessed by all regional and district transport authorities and violators would be caught,"says an official in the surface transport ministry, which has prepared the National Register with the help of the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The new driving licence itself has been designed by NID.
So, at the click of a mouse, officials will have the complete low down on offences committed by a driver since the time the licence was issued to him/her. Rohit Baluja, president of the Institute for Road Traffic Education, says this single move will help streamline the licensing system. "Once you have everything online, all violations by the driver will be recorded. "This becomes all the more important, he says, in view of "the proposal where every subsequent offence by a driver will attract greater punishment."
An expert committee on the Motor Vehicle Act has recommended the point system to curb repeat offences. Under it, points awarded for an offence shall remain on record for three years from the date of issue of the licence. If the offences cross the limit of 12 points, the person's driving licence will be suspended for a year. If the same driver accumulates 12 points again, his licence will be cancelled for five years.
Baluja says the practice of issuing driving licences in the name of the republic is followed in all developed countries. He believes the centralized system will make state authorities more accountable because "the minute any discrepancy is detected, the officials concerned can be held responsible".
Also, people would be able to apply online for their driving licence, registration certificate and transfer of ownership. "By this year-end, the portal will facilitate online payment of road taxes, various fees and transport charges,"says Mahesh Chandra, deputy director of NIC.
Access to the centralized database on registered vehicles will help the police track down vehicles that have been stolen or used to commit crimes.
There's also a national security angle. Sources say it took the police three hours to identify the explosive-laden scooter used in the Zaveri Bazaar blast in Mumbai on July 13. "Earlier, it would have taken two-three days. But this time they had a database to work with,"says an official. The portal is likely to get operational by this month-end. So the next time an Indian city is attacked, tracking the terror vehicle down should hopefully be only a mouse click away.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/-Straight-drive/articleshow/9341032.cms
No comments:
Post a Comment