A section of app-cab owners on Saturday sought more clarifications from the government on the vehicle tracking devices and panic buttons they are supposed to install by March 31.
In a letter to Snehasis Chakraborty, transport minister they asked:
- What is the price of the vehicle tracking device, including the cost of installation?
- What is the annual cost of maintaining a tracking device?
- What happens if a tracking device develops a snag and who will be liable for addressing the technical problem?
- A notification from the ministry of road transport and highways says all commercial vehicles manufactured after January 2019 should come fitted with location tracking devices. If any such vehicle is found to be without one, who will be liable for its installation?
“We request you to kindly consider, verify and clear all the points above and call an official meeting with the stakeholders before finally implementing the notification,” the letter says.
By industry estimates, there are around 12,000 appcab owners. Many of them drive their own cars.
Some of them said on Saturday that the state government’s decision to enforce the installation of the tracking gadgets was “full of ambiguities”.
In a partial modification of its earlier order, the transport department on November 30 said owners of transport vehicles, whose certificate of fitness is expiring within February 28, 2023, and who would not be able to get vehicle tracking devices fitted by that time, will be allowed exemption.
In a partial modification of its earlier order, the transport department on November 30 said owners of transport vehicles, whose certificate of fitness is expiring within February 28, 2023, and who would not be able to get vehicle tracking devices fitted by that time, will be allowed exemption.
Several others who have been in the business for over five-plus years said they were confused about the prices of the devices — from Rs 3,000 to Rs 12,000.
“Will the manufacturer offer free servicing of the gadget initially or will I have to bear it?” said Dilip Mondal, another app-cab owner-driver.
The government has so far released a list of 10 empanelled manufacturers of the device for Bengal.
“But most vehicle owners are still clueless as to how to get the device and fit it,” said Indranil Banerjee of the West Bengal Online App Cab Operators Guild.
Transport department officials said the manufacturers have been chosen based on the services they would be offering.