Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Test track remains a dream

Coimbatore: Even as the government-sponsored track for conducting tests to issue driving licence continues to remain a dream for Coimbatore, the idea of utilising the testing track of a private institution on payment fee has drawn opposition from a consumer organisation.

For nearly a decade, the district administration and the Transport Department were trying to identify a land for the testing track. A stretch of land near Saravanampatty was identified, but the process of getting possession of it ran into rough weather. The process to identify another piece of land or to take possession of the Saravanampatty land was still on. Besides the land, the testing track required a minimum investment of several lakhs for putting up roads, road signs and signals.

In the absence of a test track, the Motor Vehicle Inspectors of Coimbatore South and Coimbatore North Regional Transport Offices were forced to use the Race Course, Ukkadam bypass road, Nehru Stadium ground and even GV Residency area for conducting tests. In such places, the tests could not be conducted in a professional manner. There is also a proposal to create one more RTO Central for catering to the increasing vehicular population.

When contacted, the Deputy Transport Commissioner, Coimbatore Circle, T. Gunasekaran, said that the proposal for setting up a test track was under active consideration. The authorities expect the orders and funds for the creation of the same at the earliest.

Meanwhile, sources in the Transport Department said that the driving school owners had also come up with an idea of a test track by the association. Recently, there were reports about a private institution offering its testing track facility for use by the department. The proposal wherein the applicant would have to pay a fee for using the track was being considered. The fee structure was stated to be in the range of Rs. 50, Rs. 100 and Rs. 200 for two-wheelers, light motor vehicles and heavy vehicles.

The secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause (CCC), K. Kathirmathiyon, requested the government to reject the same.

He said that already the public were paying the required fee as stipulated under the Motor Vehicle Rules besides a service charge while applying for licence. After collecting fee, it was the duty of the Transport Department to issue the licence after ensuring capability of the applicant to ride/drive a motor vehicle.

For non-availability of some equipment or facility, the department should not penalise the consumers, he added.

He reminded that increase in fee structure could have been admitted but collection of additional money, i.e. service charge, was not to be appreciated since the other departments would also follow suit.

In such a situation, if additional fees were collected from the public for eventual payment to a private trust, it would be definitely a burden on the people.

He also urged the government to expedite the proposal to establish a test track at an early date, he said.

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