Uniform fee for smart cards,bookings mooted
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JAN 28
The Centre on Wednesday suggested a uniform fee structure across the country for issuing smart card driving licences and registering vehicles.
A five member committee headed by the Union road transport secretary was announced by Road Transport Minister T R Baalu while chairing a meeting of National Road Safety Council (NRSC) here for deciding the fee structure.
Members of the committee are the transport secretaries of Gujarat and Goa, a representative of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the transport joint secretary as its member secretary.
The council meeting deliberated on the issues like road safety, national permit system and creation of a national register of driving licences and registration certificates, based on similar registers generated at the State level.
Baalu also announced at the meeting that the Centre would provide funds to States for weigh-in-motion bridges, cranes and godowns to combat the problem of truck overloading. The Centre will also help
the States set up at least one model driver training school in each State in a phased manner.
The State transport ministers persuaded the Union minister at the meeting to set up a committee that goes into the issue of revenue loss to States from the issue of the national permits for buses, trucks and taxis.
As regards fitting of speed governors on vehicles to prevent road rage and accidents, the council decided to continue the powers of the State governments to notify the class of transport vehicles to have such governors.
