By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 13: In pursuance of a direction from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, the Meghalaya government has notified the Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) system in the state for its smooth implementation.
The government directed all enlisted VLT device manufacturers, vehicle OEM dealers, authorised dealers and RFCs to follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for VLT device (AIS 140) fitment and tagging in the state.
The SOP said the Government of India mandated vehicle tracking system and panic button in all transport vehicles. The Department of Transport, Meghalaya has decided to implement the AIS 140-based vehicle tracking system in all public transport vehicles.
The department has entrusted C-DAC, a Government of India agency under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, for the implementation of the project.
C-DAC has developed the software application to monitor all vehicles fitted with tracking device. A Monitoring & Control Centre has been set up at the office of the Transport Commissioner, Shillong for monitoring vehicles across Meghalaya.
The department has shortlisted various manufacturers and models of AIS 140 certified VLT devices. Vehicle owners can choose from any of the approved vendors and models.
The SOP also stated that passenger cars shall have at least one emergency buttons on each passenger row, easily accessible by each of the passengers. Similarly, passenger buses shall have emergency buttons at locations easily visible and accessible to all passengers, such as every two metres on both sides of seating area.
“For seats reserved for ladies, there shall be a dedicated panic button for each row. It shall be permissible to have a single emergency button for two successive ladies’ rows on both sides of the vehicle provided each lady passenger in either row is able to reach and operate the emergency button,” the SOP said.
Panic buttons are an important part of AIS 140 implementation. These are placed for the safety of passengers and drivers. In case of any emergency, the passenger or driver can press the panic button to inform the control room about the emergency situation.
All panic buttons have a continuous glowing LED to indicate that they are working. When they are pressed, the LED will start blinking and the hooter will start making sound. The device will also send SMS about the emergency condition to the control room as well as the owner.
