New license rule to take effect June 1, amidst unresolved challenges

Mumbai: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has introduced new driving license rules aimed at enhancing efficiency and simplifying the license process. However, stakeholders are concerned that the new provisions may lead to misconduct and chaos. According to the Motor Vehicle Act, applicants may no longer be required to undergo a driving test at the Regional Transport Office (RTO). Instead, the driving test will be conducted at accredited private driving schools. Upon passing the test at these schools, applicants will receive a certificate, which they can use to apply for a driving license without undergoing further testing at the RTO.

The rule will be effective from June 1 onwards. Additionally, the new rules mandate that driving training centers must occupy at least one acre of land, with a minimum of two acres required for four-wheeler training. While these rules were initially notified in 2021, the government is now looking to implement them from June onwards.

The rule has raised questions and doubts about its practicality in terms of accountability and affordability. In metro cities like Mumbai and Delhi, land constraints are a major challenge that would affect the establishment of such large driving training centers.

Critics argue that the requirement for large land parcels for driving tracks, especially in urban areas, is impractical and may hinder the execution of the new rules. An owner of a Mumbai-based driving school said, “If I had that much land, why would I open a driving school? The RTOs themselves don’t have enough space to accommodate; how does this help us? We are already thinking about how these rules will be executed without enough infrastructure in place.” The Hindu reported.