Delhi govt waives annual tracking device fee for all commercial passenger vehicles

    New Delhi, Aug 29 (PTI) In a major relief, the Delhi government on Thursday announced waiver of the annual fee for the Vehicle Location Tracking Device for all commercial passenger vehicles.
    Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said during a press conference that the decision followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the transport department and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for the Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) project.
    "Previously, vehicle owners were required to pay an annual fee of Rs 1,200 plus 18 per cent GST, amounting to a total of Rs 1,416. The exemption will benefit approximately 1.5 lakh public vehicle owners across Delhi," he said.
    Gahlot said this exemption was a significant step towards easing the financial burden on public vehicle owners while ensuring the safety and security of passengers, especially women and children.
    "By leveraging advanced technology such as the VLTD, we are committed to providing a safer and more efficient public transportation in Delhi," he said.
    There are about 2,44,312 (2.44 lakh) public vehicles, including autorickshaws, taxis, and RTVs. There are around 85,000 autorickshaws, the minister said.
    "Apart from this, there are about 1.5 lakh rural services, taxis, maxi cabs, etc. In 2019, the Delhi government had done away with the annual fee of Rs 1,200 paid by autorickshaws and taxi drivers to the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Limited (DIMTS) for vehicle tracking. Now, the Delhi government has taken a decision to waive the annual fee of the tracking device," Gahlot said.
    About 1.5 lakh public vehicles have been granted this exemption, he added.
    "This is a very big decision. Apart from this, we have ended our contract with DIMTS. Now, the NIC will oversee the tracking of these vehicles," the transport minister said.
    Drivers had been demanding a waiver of the fee for a long time, according to Gahlot.
    Earlier, tracking of public transport in Delhi was done by DIMTS. From now, the NIC will do this work, he said.
    "The NIC will also look after the functioning of the command centre. Earlier, the vehicles had to pay Rs 1,200 for this, which they will no longer have to pay. About 7,000 goods vehicles are also included in this," he added.
    Under the Motor Vehicles Act, it is mandatory to install tracking devices in all public service vehicles.
    "All buses of the Delhi government have CCTV cameras, panic buttons and GPS. When the Delhi government started it, it was not in the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Now it has been made mandatory to install a VLTD and emergency panic button in the ministry's guidelines," the Delhi transport minister said.
    The VLTD is an advanced GPS tracking device designed specifically for vehicle tracking and monitoring for accurate, real-time location tracking. The system ensures enhanced security and is mandatory for all commercial vehicles. The device transmits precise location data to the VAAHAN server, facilitating seamless and reliable communication of real-time updates on a vehicle's position.
    The NIC's state-of-the-art cloud infrastructure and monitoring centres will ensure continuous, real-time tracking of all vehicles equipped with VLTDs, thus improving overall public safety, according to an official statement.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)