3000 get driving licences in automated driving centre

More than 3000 people have been issued driving licences by an automated driving centre in Hoshiarpur where an applicant gets a licence within an hour after passing the test.
Since the inauguration of the centre on April 21 by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, 3050 out of 3500 applicants have been granted driving licences, District Transport Officer (DTO) Darbara Singh said here today.
"After passing the driving test, a permanent licence is provided in 40 minutes while as the learning licence in 50 minutes," he said.
Drivers of two-wheelers and four-wheelers are tested while using the latest technology available, Singh said.

"Applicants are given a touch screen tablet in which they take a test on questions regarding driving and road safety," he said, adding at the last stage of the test, an applicant has to drive the kind of vehicle he or she has applied for.
Singh said smart card based driving licences are issued on the spot.

Punjab government has signed separate memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with Maruti-Suzuki and Smart Chip Private Limited in this regard.
Whiile Maruti-Suzuki runs driving institutes and imparts training to drivers, Smart Chip Private Limited offers technological support, he said, adding the infrastructure has been made available by the state government.

The driving tracks have been constructed at a cost of Rs 1.20 crore and have come up over 1.5 acres of land. A total of 32 modern driving test centres have been set up in the state, he added.