Kochi: Following an order from the transport minister’s office, the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has decided to conduct driving tests for candidates appearing directly with their personal vehicles from Monday onwards, with the Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) being referred to the cases. Have been asked to seek police assistance. “External interference”. “We have decided to encourage applicants to apply directly and appear for the test in their personal vehicles as driving schools are not sending their candidates or submitting fresh applications despite the relaxation of some amended rules by the department. are doing. We have also identified alternative grounds to conduct testing if the protesters refuse to give the common testing grounds,” said a senior officer. The department has five grounds out of 86 centers across the state where the tests are conducted. If some candidates fail to appear in the allotted slot on a particular day, those who have been allotted slots in the next few days can appear on the same day if they are willing. “We will prepare a waiting list by including interested candidates who can appear for the exam even before the dates allotted to them,” the official said. Hundreds of candidates have been affected as the driving test was disrupted for the 10th day on Friday. While around 10 lakh applications are pending across the state, around 10,000 applicants in Ernakulam region alone are yet to get a test date. Meanwhile, protests against the amended rules introduced on May 1, excluding driving school owners, belonging to CITU will continue. “We will organize a secretariat march on Monday (May 13) demanding complete withdrawal of the order. Members of all trade unions except CITU will participate. “We will not cooperate in the tests until all the new rules are withdrawn,” said Arun Kumar, regional secretary of the All Kerala Driving School Inspectors and Workers Association. Among other things, the new rules seek to limit the number of driving tests to 30 per day. The driving test ground should have different tracks to conduct tests like angular parking, parallel parking, zigzag driving and gradient test. Driving schools were also asked to immediately replace vehicles older than 15 years that were being used for testing. Keeping in mind the demands, the state government promised to ease some measures, such as increasing the daily slots to 40 (25 new; 10 re-tested) and allowing driving schools to replace their old vehicles by at least six. Providing time of month. Guidelines regarding tracks were also liberalized.
MVD to conduct driving test for individual candidates in Kerala
