Maharashtra Transport Commissioner: Brace for more surprise inspections

Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Avinash Dhakne

Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Avinash Dhakne on Monday said they are looking at the option of using the open grounds at educational institutions in the city as transport training centres over the weekends.

Dhakne also spoke about the drive against private bus operators, conducted as part of the ongoing Road Safety Month. On Saturday night, action was taken against 3,062 buses for flouting various rules, and 213 of them were detained. Speaking on other issues, he said that the transport department would conduct more such surprise drives in the near future.

What is being done to improve the quality of driving as part of the road safety drive?
We are getting 65 simulators across the state at a cost of Rs 7-Rs 9 lakh each. These simulators will be installed at various drivers training institutes. We tested a couple of them wherein they found that the software is tuned for left-hand driving. [India has right-hand driving]. But, necessary changes are being made and should be customised soon.

What is the idea of the proposed transport training institutes?
Fifty motor driving training institutes are planned to come up across the state for which two acres of land is needed. These driving institutes will be meant for training drivers, especially bus and cab operators. For a city like Mumbai, where finding a piece of land is scarce, we could work out a plan where we can approach schools and colleges to use their ground for training drivers at least on weekends.

What are the details of the drive against private buses held on Saturday?
A special drive was conducted wherein, 3,062 buses were checked within 12 hours across the state, and 213 were detained for various anomalies. Most number of buses were caught in Thane at 539, followed by Pune at 472. While 32 buses were detained in Thane, 43 were detained in Pune.

What is being done to decongest crowds at RTOs?
The Transport department is working on finalising digital signatures for people applying for learner's licence. Slowly, it could be extended for other utilities and help reduce the crowd at Regional Transport Offices.