Taxis and buses in Chandigarh are liable to pay a fine should they not be fitted with a vehicle tracking system and emergency buttons. The union territory had made the fitment of tracking and emergency alert systems mandatory back in June 2022 in line with the Central Government’s mandate to have all public transport vehicles and vehicles transporting hazardous cargo to be fitted with the systems.
As per a recent report, a city official said that only 35 per cent of the public service vehicles running in Chandigarh had the devices fitted and the transport department could start issuing challans for the non-fitment of the system.
The vehicle tracking system and emergency button are aimed at making public transport safer across the country. The data from the systems is fed to a centralised control room of the state transport department as well as allowing other relevant authorities access to live tracking data.
The official also asked all public transport vehicle owners to come forward and have the approved tracking device and emergency alert buttons fixed at the earliest possible. They also asked the public to avoid using vehicles which lacked either of the safety devices.
The present norms call for all public transport vehicles with the exception of three-wheelers and motorcycles/scooters to have both systems fitted.
Representational image used
