NGO urges govt to install tracking devices in public vehicles

An NGO working for women safety criticised the government today for deferring the mandatory installation of GPS-enabled tracking devices and panic buttons in public transport vehicles till April 2019.

The organisation said that nothing concrete has been done so far to ensure the safety of children and women in the country despite the barbaric and ghastly incidents of rape.

According to a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on November 28, 2016, all transport vehicles such as buses and cabs were required to be fitted with vehicle tracking systems along with an emergency button by April 1 this year.

However, in a circular issued on April 20, the ministry is learnt to have informed state transport authorities of its decision to extend its implementation by a year.

The reason cited for this postponement is non-readiness of the backend tracking system by states. We are utterly shocked. It has been almost six years since the India witnessed the horrifoc Nirbhaya gangrape in a moving bus and still the government is sitting on a proposal which will ensure that women are safe while travelling in public transport," Kamal Soi, Chairman of Raahat Foundation, said.

Soi said that they would file a PIL in the Supreme Court if the government didn't withdraw the notification of extension.

Raahat Foundation recently appealed to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct states to ensure the implementation of the proposal.