Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also holds the portfolio of Transport Minister, participated in the National level meeting of Transport Ministers and 43rd meeting of the Transport Development Council and held in New Delhi on Thursday. The meeting was chaired by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari.
During the meeting, Shri Agnihotri raised several important issues concerning the transport sector in Himachal Pradesh. He urged the Union Government to increase the validity of taxi permits to at least 15 years or up to the period the vehicle remains roadworthy, instead of the existing 12-year limit as prescribed by the Central Government.
Taking into account the state’s difficult topographical and geographical conditions and limited land availability, Sh. Agnihotri urged for the segregation of Driving Training Schools and Automated Testing Stations under the Centres cluster scheme. He emphasized that such segregation would enable the people of Himachal Pradesh to fully benefit from this centrally sponsored scheme. Additionally, he urged that the carrying capacity of goods vehicles, particularly Tippers, should be determined on the basis of the actual goods carried.
Agreeing with the concerns raised, Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari assured that appropriate guidelines would be framed in this regard and that the Government of India would carefully consider the issues highlighted by hilly states like Himachal Pradesh, including the validity of permits, vehicle scrapping and infrastructure development.