KARACHI, Feb 20: Federal Communications Minister Mohammad Shamim Siddiqui said on Monday that a driving training institute was being established with the assistance of the World Bank to create awareness and driving skills among the citizens.

The matter is under discussion with the Sindh government regarding reactivation of the institute, which was closed about 11 years back, he said while presiding over a meeting regarding the establishment of the driving training institute in Karachi.

The institute is planned to be established under the control of the National Highway Authority and Motorway Police for training of drivers for safe driving even in fog, rain and bad weather conditions.

The minister hoped that the driving training institute would be inaugurated in April here at the Old KTC Depot in SITE area.

He said the operational running cost of the institute was estimated at Rs3 million per year. In the first phase, he informed, 400 to 500 drivers would be trained and its capacity would be increased three times within a year.

Replying to a query, the federal minister said that land would be acquired from the Sindh government while the National Highway Authority/Motorway police would bear the operational cost.

He said that the vehicles and training staff would also be provided by the NHA and the Motorway Police.

Mr Siddiqui informed that the National Road Safety Control would be established in Islamabad.

He said that a 10-member executive board and a 7-member managing committee had been constituted for the establishment of the institute and to deal with its allied matters.

The meeting was attended, among others, by IG NH and MP Islamabad, DCO city government, additional secretary communication, Islamabad and others.—APP