Practice of issuing driving licence ‘in six minutes’ won’t be entertained, says Kerala Transport Minister

K.B. Ganesh Kumar makes the remarks in the wake of controversy over restricting number of candidates appearing for driving licence test in a day to 50 from the current 180

Kerala Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar (file) | Photo Credit: S. MAHINSHA

The practice of issuing driving licences to a candidate ‘in just six minutes’ by Motor Vehicles department (MVD) officials cannot be entertained any more, said Kerala Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar on March 7 (Thursday).

Issuing a driver’s licence to a candidate ‘in six minutes’ cannot count for eligibility to drive a vehicle, and it can potentially kill someone on the road, the Minister said.

He made the remarks in the wake of the controversy over restricting the number of candidates appearing for driving licence test in a day to 50 from the current 180.

Driving tests were disrupted at many places in Kerala after MVD officials tried to restrict the number of driving tests to 50 a day as per an informal decision taken by the department on March 6. A suggestion in this regard was discussed in an online meeting of the Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) and Joint RTOs. The attempt to implement the decision by officials led to chaos in some places, inviting sharp protests from candidates who had turned up for the driving test.

“Under normal circumstances, an MVD officer issues 60 driving licences a day, taking six minutes to complete the entire ground test, road test, and screening of the candidate, among other things, (for each candidate). This is almost impossible considering the lengthy process involved in holding the entire proceedings. We have to end this practice. An informal discussion was held in this regard,” said the Minister.

However, candidates who showed up at driving test venues said implementing a decision overnight without informing the various stakeholders in advance cannot be agreed upon.

Later, the Minister clarified that all the candidates who were given slots for the test on the day (March 7) will be given a chance for the driving test. However, the Minister struck to the point that issuing a driving licence “in six minutes cannot be entertained any more.”

He also warned that officials who “leaked” the contents of the online meeting to the media would face disciplinary action.