Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar Seeks Centre's Support for Telangana Projects
Hyderabad: Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar met Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday to request approvals and support for various projects aimed at improving road safety and transportation infrastructure in the state.
During the meeting, Minister Prabhakar urged the Centre to approve the establishment of an Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Area under the 15th Finance Commission. He highlighted the need for such an institute to meet the growing demand for driver training. Additionally, he requested approval for constructing a multi-level Automated Vehicle Fitness Testing Station to enhance vehicle fitness standards.
The Minister also sought the Centre’s assistance in creating an Integrated Command Control Centre to monitor public vehicles, which he said would significantly improve road safety. He emphasized the importance of implementing central government portals in Telangana, integrating the state’s vehicle registration system with the VAHAN portal, and linking driving licenses to the SARATHI portal. He also proposed setting up vehicle scrapping facilities and Children Traffic Awareness Parks in schools to promote better road safety awareness among students.
Regarding existing approvals, Minister Prabhakar mentioned that two Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) centres had already been approved. Administrative clearance has also been granted for the establishment of 37 Automated Vehicle Fitness Testing Stations. On the promotion of Electric Vehicles (EVs), he highlighted that the Telangana Government has waived 100% of road tax and registration fees for all EVs purchased and registered in the state.
The Minister further requested support for land utilization in the Medchal-Malkajgiri district and assistance with electronic enforcement mechanisms, such as e-challan automation. He proposed identifying national and state highways in the Hyderabad region to implement these electronic enforcement systems. Minister Prabhakar also sought help with software upgrades for the VAHAN and SARATHI portals, along with the secure transfer of vehicle data to the National Register managed by NIC. He asked NIC to assign a specialized team to expedite this process without data loss.
Additionally, he requested funds for high-quality field training for Motor Vehicle Inspectors (MVIs) and Assistant MVIs (AMVIs), and support for establishing EV charging infrastructure to meet the increasing demand for charging stations while keeping up with technological advancements.
Minister Prabhakar also appealed to the Union Government to allocate funds for upgrading several single-lane roads to double-lane roads in the Husnabad constituency. He was accompanied by MPs Mallu Ravi, Balaram Naik, Raghuram Reddy, Gaddam Vamsi Krishna, and Suresh Shetkar during the meeting.
