All vehicles plying in Odisha, except two and three-wheelers, have to be fitted with the Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) and panic buttons from October 1.

Vehicle owners not abiding by the rule will not be able to register their vehicles in the office of the Regional Transport Authority (RTO).

In its notification, the State Transport Authority (STA) said: “The objective of this project is to track and monitor the vehicles plying on the road and to ensure passenger safety, especially the women and child passengers.”

All vehicles, including passenger buses, luxury cabs, motor cabs, private service vehicles, goods carriage vehicles operating on national permits, vehicles carrying hazardous and explosive materials, vehicles of education institutions and ambulances, will have to be fitted with the VLTD and panic buttons at the time of registration from October 1.

Old vehicles registered on or before September 30, will have to be fitted with VLTD devices and panic buttons by December 31.

Without this provisions, the vehicles will not get the fitness certificate, transfer of ownership, permit and national permit from January 1.