State seeks 6 months to enforce GPS, panic button rule

The transport department has written to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways seeking time till July 31 for implementation of the rule about installing vehicle tracking devices and panic buttons.

The rule had said all commercial vehicles registered on and after January 1 should have vehicle tracking devices (GPS) and panic buttons. But operators of commercial vehicles, including taxi operators in Bengaluru, protested, saying the government was enforcing the rule without the necessary infrastructure.

In a letter to the ministry, the department has said the rule “cannot be implemented unless a command and control centre is established by the state” where data can be captured, stored and analysed. "Further appropriate provisions are to be made so that the violations detected out of analysis can be addressed," it said.

The letter dated February 6 requests for July 31 as the revised deadline for implementation of the order.