Fixing gadgets in vehicles of no use without monitoring mechanism: Karnataka State Travel Operators’ Association

Merely installing panic buttons, tracking devices oregon velocity governors successful transport vehicles whitethorn not service immoderate intent successful the lack of a due bid & power centre successful each territory and each State to way the question of vehicles and different details, according to the Karnataka State Travel Operators’ Association.

Referring to Supreme Court directive connected May 13 to each State Governments and Union Territories connected mandatory installation of velocity governors, Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTDs) and exigency panic buttons successful nationalist transport vehicles, relation President K. Radhakrishna Holla said though the court’s volition was good, the biggest situation successful India was effectual implementation of the directions.

These systems necessitate continuous unrecorded monitoring, trained manpower, exigency effect teams, integrated bundle systems and beardown accountability mechanisms. Without due monitoring centres, galore of these physics information gadgets hazard becoming lone compliance formalities, helium said.

Command & Control Centres

Mr. Holla said India contiguous has much than 40 crore vehicles, astir 6.5 crore km of roadworthy network, and implicit 800 districts. In specified a monolithic and analyzable system, simply framing rules oregon installing physics devices would not automatically guarantee nationalist safety.

Since 2019, the Central Government has allocated important funds (about ₹8,000 crore) for roadworthy information projects, Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS), Command & Control Centres, and integer monitoring infrastructure. Yet, superior questions stay astir however galore States person afloat operational monitoring centres that relation efficaciously 24x7.

Data presented earlier the Supreme Court uncover that adjacent aft 8 years of the mandate, little than 1% of nationalist transport vehicles person decently functioning AVLTDs, exhibiting the immense spread betwixt argumentation announcements and existent execution. Around ₹460 crore was sanctioned specifically for State-wise conveyance tracking platforms, panic fastener systems, AIS-140 compliant VLTDS and integrated monitoring infrastructure.

Unified architecture

He said if the state genuinely wants to trim accidents and fatalities, it needs a unified nationalist integer roadworthy information architecture. All State capitals, districts, highways and municipality centres should beryllium connected done integrated bid and power centres susceptible of real-time tracking, exigency effect co-ordination, mishap grounds collection, and unrecorded enforcement.

Common information standards should use not lone to nationalist transport vehicles, but besides to backstage vehicles, commercialized fleets, authorities vehicles and departmental transport systems. Vehicle manufacturers should beryllium required to instal precocious onboard information technologies, vehicle-to-vehicle mishap extortion systems, automatic exigency braking (AEB), operator alert systems, and unrecorded monitoring capabilities astatine the manufacturing signifier itself.