NEWS – Karnataka Transport Minister inaugurated the Command and Control Centre for tracking Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) devices through emergency panic buttons in Bengaluru. This initiative is part of a joint venture between the transport department and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)

HIGHLIGHTS

Ministry Guidelines – Under the guidelines of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) as part of the Nirbhaya Framework, all states and Union Territories are required to set up vehicle tracking systems.

Purpose – The primary objective of this move is to enhance security levels in public transport vehicles, especially for women and children. The system is also capable of detecting various issues such as main power removal, over-speeding, harsh acceleration, rash turning, and panic button wire-cuts.

Vehicles Required to Install Devices

The mandate applies to:

• All passenger vehicles
• Buses
• Motor cabs
• Maxi cabs
• Educational institution buses
• National permit goods carriages
• Goods carriages

Functionality of the System

Tracking Mechanism: Vehicles equipped with VLT devices can be tracked from the command centre. Status of each vehicle can be monitored every 20 seconds. In the event that a panic button is pressed, the command centre receives alerts and the vehicle’s status is updated every 5 seconds.

Emergency Response: Upon verifying the authenticity of the emergency, the centre communicates the information to the Emergency Response System Solution (ERSS), engaging police intervention if necessary. A dedicated team of 36 professionals will provide 24/7 service across three shifts.

Current Implementation Status

Out of the 6,04,863 eligible vehicles, 1,109 have been fitted with the VLT devices and emergency panic buttons, with the majority being school buses.