Transport Department initiative for women’s safety under Nirbhaya Fund; training for RTO staff in Mysuru to begin in 15 days

Mysore/Mysuru: Following the initiative of Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, a Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) platform is being set up under Nirbhaya Fund to ensure safety of women in public transport vehicles (yellow board vehicles), by installing  Geographical Positioning System (GPS) and panic buttons most likely from December this year.

To implement the project, training will be conducted for the staff at respective Regional Transport Offices (RTO) in the State, with the Offices of RTO (West) in Chamarajapuram and RTO (East) at Rajivnagar in Mysuru, making preparations for the training which is expected to begin in 15 days, said RTO (West) Devika and RTO (East) Shafiuddin Khan.

The new system assumes significance in the wake of the gang rape of a woman in Delhi in December 2012 that rocked the whole country. The victim was sexually assaulted by a gang of six men in a moving bus, before succumbing to the injuries caused by the perpetrators. The  case commonly known as Nirbhaya case, led to a public outrage, with the call for women’s safety becoming louder. Yellow board vehicles like-taxis, cabs, private buses and goods vehicles with national permit should be compulsorily fitted with VLT device.

The State Transport Department had invited expression of interest through e-tender from reputed agencies on Feb. 9, 2023 and the eligible 13 firms have been finalised to fit the device of ISO-140 standard. The Transport Department is awaiting the consent of State Government to go ahead with the implementation of the project.

Once the device is fitted, real-time movement of vehicles will be monitored through the map of Geographic Information System (GIS), including changes in route, besides sending alerts on overspeeding, restricted areas and violation of traffic rules.

During emergency, the travellers can press panic button that would send a distress message to the dedicated Command Centre. Acting swiftly, the Command Centre to be set up at the Head Office of Transport Department at Shanthinagar in Bengaluru, will alert jurisdictional Police and other Departments concerned to attend the emergency.