Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 15: Nearly 95,000 passenger vehicles in Maharashtra are now equipped with GPS-enabled Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTD) offering real-time monitoring and SOS alert facilities to enhance commuter safety, especially for women and children, officials said on Sunday.

“A total of 94,974 vehicles have been fitted with VLTDs. If a passenger presses the red panic button inside a vehicle, an immediate alert with real-time location details is sent to our control room in Andheri,” a senior Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Department (MMVD) official said.

The 24x7 control room, set up at the Andheri RTO and operated by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), became functional in October 2024. It monitors school buses, tourist and luxury taxis, contract carriage buses, and stage carriage buses.

The installation follows a Union government mandate requiring all public service vehicles—except two-wheelers, e-rickshaws, and three-wheelers—registered after January 1, 2019, to have tracking devices and emergency buttons. Maharashtra has around 4.9 crore vehicles, but a large number remain without VLTDs as the rule currently covers only newer registrations.

Officials flagged that 18,900 devices were recently found non-functional, leaving only 76,085 active. RTOs have been directed to act against such violations, which could lead to fines, permit suspension, or cancellation of fitness certificates.

Funded partly through the Union Government’s Nirbhaya Fund, the initiative aims to strengthen women’s safety in public transport and ensure quick rescue in distress situations.