JOIN USActing on the Centre’s advisory to ensure safety of passengers, especially women, in private cabs, buses and autorickshaws, the State government is exploring the possibility of setting up a tracking system with GPS/GPRS devices in these vehicles.
Officials in the Transport department told Deccan Herald that an initial meeting with the stakeholders, including autorickshaw unions, cab service providers and other private agencies, was held recently to discuss ‘safety measures’ for passengers.
The meeting, however, threw up a few practical problems such as having a common control centre for tracking vehicles.
A senior official of the Transport department said the biggest problem was to have a common tracking base.
Providing a unique ID for every vehicle is not that easy, he added.
Another likely glitch would be setting up a ‘back-end’ office for tracking vehicles.
“We have to either identify an independent agency, which may agree to set up a back-end office, or we have to approach the State government to identify a department that is willing to handle back-end services,” he said.
The department is said to be looking at possible models of an empowered panel with security and IT experts from the private sector to provide logistics to set up the tracking system in passenger vehicles.
Transport Commissioner K R Srinivasa said he would submit a report to the State government after studying the feasibility of implementing the Centre’s advisory.
“It will take some time, but we are on the job,” he said.
As an additional step, permits to new passenger vehicles are being given on a stringent condition-heavy agreement with the State government. The department has tightened norms to ensure the safety of passengers in public transport vehicles.