Keypoints:
- This device is expected to allow authorities to track the location, speed and other details of the vehicles with a single click.
- 3.70 lakh existing vehicles will have to install the system.
- Two-wheelers, auto rickshaws, and other such commercial vehicles that do not require permits have been exempted from the regulation.
This decision was issued on November 28, 2016 and was brought into effect on Monday.VTS and panic button, together, comprise the intelligent transport system (ITS). This is expected to allow authorities to track the location, speed and other details of the vehicles with a single click.
3.70 lakh existing vehicles will have to install the system, transport officials said. The cost of purchasing and installing the device is around Rs10,000 – 12,000. Moreover, monthly fees are around Rs100-400, depending on the various facilities.Two-wheelers, auto rickshaws, and other such commercial vehicles that do not require permits have been exempted from the regulation.
Furthermore, RTO officers across the state refused to register new vehicles that had not installed the ITS system.
The state transport department is pushing a proposal for compulsory Vehicle Location Tracking system (VLTS) for all commercial vehicles — all cabs, private tourist buses, school buses and heavy goods vehicles — across Maharashtra.
State transport commissioner Avinash Dhakne said that the VLTS will have a tracking device in every commercial vehicle, making it easier to track its location and zero in on vehicles flouting traffic rules. “A similar VLTS is running successfully in Kerala where errant drivers are caught on highways through remote monitoring,” said Dhakne, adding that enforcement agencies can keep a check on every vehicle. “You can see if a vehicle is speeding on the highway or cutting lanes. You can at once alert traffic cops on that route and intercept the vehicle, prosecute the offender and impose penalties,” he said.
Sources said the state will also appoint authorised suppliers of the tracking device which will be made mandatory in the near future. The device will be linked to a central command centre that will be monitored by the state transport department for major roads and highways in the state.It will also bring down number of mishaps and fatalities, Dhakne said.
Sources said that the tracking device would be linked to the registration number of vehicle.
