PANAJI
Directorate of Transport has directed owners of public service vehicles including passenger buses and tourist taxis, operating in the State to compulsorily fit vehicle location tracking (VLT) devices and emergency buttons in their vehicles latest by November 30.
In a fresh notice issued on Wednesday, Transport Director Pravimal Abhishek has said that all public services vehicles should compulsorily have functional vehicle location tracking device and emergency button fitted on or before November 30 and the same will be checked at the time of renewal of fitness and during surprise check.
Abhishek pointed out that during various inspections conducted by the department, it was found that vehicle tracking devices and emergency buttons are either not fitted or non-functional.
The directions, which were issued last year, align with the ministry of road transport and highways’ 2018 directive, which stipulated that all public service vehicles, as defined under the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, must be equipped with VLT devices and one or more emergency buttons.
The specifications and testing of these devices must comply with the AIS-140 standard, the department said. “Such VLT devices and emergency buttons shall be fitted by the manufacturer or their dealer or respective operator, as the case may be,” it added.
Once fitted, the device details must be updated on the VAHAN portal against the vehicle’s registration number.
