The Motor Vehicle department’s (MVD) decision to restrict the number of driving tests on a day to 50 triggered a wave of protests across the State with by learners and driving school authorities. There was no official circular or government order to restrict the number of driving tests to 50, but an informal suggestion taken at an online meeting of the Regional Transport Officers (RTO) and Joint RTOs headed by Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar led to confusion.
On Thursday morning, thousands of learners who were given slots for tests gathered at the driving test venues across the State appear for the test. The MVD officials who reached the venue informed the candidates that only 50 would be allowed to take part in the test, triggering protests. In Malappuram, the police had to intervene to pacify the learners. Protests flared up at all the venues by 9 a.m., forcing the Minister to direct the officials to maintain the status quo until a formal decision is taken in this regard.
Tests resume at 10.30 a.m.
The driving school authorities and learners who showed up at the test venue said implementing a decision overnight, that too without informing the stakeholders in advance, cannot be agreed upon. Later, Mr. Kumar clarified that all the candidates who were given slots on Thursday may appear for the test. Driving tests resumed by 10.30 a.m.
The Minister, however, struck to the point that the practice of issuing a driving licence in six minutes cannot be entertained anymore. “In normal circumstances, an MVD officer issues 60 driving licences a day, taking six minutes to complete the entire ground test, road test, and screening of the candidate, among other things. This is almost impossible considering the lengthy process involved. We have to end this practice. An informal discussion was held in this regard, but those who leaked the information to the media will have to face disciplinary action,” he said.
