Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jan 3: All transport vehicles in state will soon have to install panic button and vehicle tracking devices.

In lieu with the Union government’s rule, State transport minister D C Thammanna said the department will soon initiate an action plan. The move will help in providing emergency response as well as tracking traffic violations like over speeding, he said.

The notification by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had said that the rule will come into force for new vehicles from January 1. However, the state government was allowed to take a call on installation of devices in the existing vehicles in a time-bound manner.

The rule will affect more than 10 lac buses, 3.3 lac cabs and over 5 lac transport (goods and multi-axled) vehicles. Installing the device may cost them upto Rs 12,000.

Transport commissioner VP Ikkeri did not rule out ‘initial hiccups’ when asked if the state has the required infrastructure to track vehicles.

“We shall look into tenders called by other states and incorporate the systems into the action plan. Steps will be taken to address issues that may likely come up,” he said.