KARACHI, July 31: The Sindh government has decided that all driving licence holders of every category will have to undergo refresher course in the drivers’ training school of the transport department.
In this regard, a summary sent by the transport department has been approved by Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Rahim.
According to the new rules, a driving licence would not be reviewed unless its holder successfully undergone the week-long refresher course. New learners of driving, besides undergoing training courses of private driving schools, will also have to complete three-month driving course at the training school, after which they would be given LTV/HTV/PSV driving licence.
The programme will be introduced in phases in the whole province. Initially, the Drivers Training School of defunct Karachi Transport Corporation at Manghopir Road is being reactivated. This school has been closed since 1999, and after reopening it would also be used for training of national highways and motorways police personnel.
In later phases, training schools in the depots of defunct Sindh Regional Transport Corporation in Hyderabad, Khairpur and Larkana would be reactivated. There is a capacity to train 250 drivers in these schools.
Meanwhile, Sindh Transport Minister Muhammad Adil Siddiqui asked the provincial ministry of transport to take early steps for implementation of the new rules.
He said that reactivating the drivers’ training schools in all divisional headquarters was on the preference list of his department.
He said that as the largest number of vehicles plied on Karachi roads, the drivers’ training school here was being reactivated in the first phase, and for this purpose, services of highways and motorway police were being obtained. He said that the motorway police would also provide police instructors/ technical staff, whose pay and allowances would be born by their respective departments, while the Sindh government would provide building and administrator to run its affairs.
The minister said that this training programme was being initiated jointly by the provincial transport department and national highways and motorways police and both would monitor it. He said that a high-powered board and managing committee with representation of both departments would be set up in this regard.
Adil Siddiqui said that all holders of LTV/HTV/PSV driving licence holders would undergo the week-long refresher course and this process would complete in the next three years. He said that DIG Traffic and all postal authorities were being made bound not to renew licences or issue fresh licences without the certificates of completion of required refresher courses.
The minister said that these steps were aimed at spreading awareness regarding the traffic laws among the masses.
He expressed hope that after the implementation of the new law, the number of road accidents would considerably come down and current trend of illegally obtaining driving licence without undergoing a proper driving test would be eliminated.
He said that as compared to other countries our roads were wide enough for traffic, and all that needed was awareness of traffic laws amongst the masses.
He said that fatal road accidents used to occur due to minor mistakes of drivers, besides non-implementation of traffic rules. —PPI