Public transport vehicles to be equipped with GPS tracking from April, 1: Samoon

Jammu: State Government is mulling a proposal to register public transport vehicles fitted with GPS system and panic buttons from April 1 this year.
This was disclosed by Principal Secretary, Transport Department, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon here Tuesday.
Dr Samoon directed rolling out process of setting up a radar surveillance system to monitor passenger vehicles when the GPS is fitted with them.
The software that will be setup in Transport Commissioner’s office is being developed by Center for Developing Advanced Computing under ‘Suraksha Mitra’ to track, locate and give real time data of vehicles.
Besides tamper proof- GPS system, name, age, address and contact number of all drivers along with photographs will be displayed in the vehicle, he said.
During the meeting, Dr Samoon also stressed on the officers to speed up the construction of RTO Kashmir and Transport Commissioners offices in Srinagar.
Regarding the modernization of workshops of SRTC and State Motor Garages, Dr Samoon directed upgradation of regional workshops at Jammu and Srinagar besides installation of machinery and equipment like Tyre changer, gas analyzer, painting booth, car wash and other necessary equipment.
He also called for conducting awareness programs regarding safety and driving rules among transporters, drivers, conductors and school and college goers.
He also called for intensifying the special checking drives to check MVD violations by drivers on national highway particularly in Chenab valley.
Dr Samoon also sought status of initiative, in which subsidy to private public transport operators owning 15 to 20-year-old vehicles would be provided for purchase of new vehicles.
He also directed for early resolution of service issues of Transport department besides increasing the mobility of ground staff for enforcement of traffic rules.
The meeting was attended by MD SRTC Dr Manmohan Singh, RTO Jammu Dr Raj K Thapa , Additional Transport Commissioner Ajaz Abdullah Saraf, Director Finance Transport Department Mahesh Dass, Additional Secretary Road Safety Mushtaq Ahmed, Deputy Director State Motor Garages Jammu Syed Muarif and other senior officers.