THOSE complaining of drivers with Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) manoeuvring recklessly on the city roads will get a breather as the transport body has decided that every fresh recruit will have to clear the driving test at the Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) before they are inducted.
The drivers of PMPML are often at the receiving end of other road users who blame the former do not have the driving discipline. Until now, at the time of the fresh recruitment, PMPML’s existing staffers used to conduct the driving tests which were prone to error and bias.
The IDTR has a computerised track for evaluating applicants’ driving abilities. Since 2015, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) has been conducting all four-wheeler tests at IDTR. The Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) has designed 15 different tracks to cover vehicles ranging from four-wheeler ones to heavy vehicles. The computerised system automatically evaluates a candidate’s ability and gives results without human intervention.
“The PMPML has approached us to conduct tests for candidates aspiring to get the job of drivers. We will conduct the tests for driving as well as fitness for them. The results would be sent to PMPML who would then use it during the selection process,” said Babasaheb Ajri, RTO, Pune.
Speaking at a public event earlier this month, PMPML’s chairman and managing director Tukaram Mundhe had said that the PMPML would slow down the recruitment process as it is already a staff-heavy organisation. “PMPML was formed after merging PMT and PCMT in 2007 and all the staff of these two organisations were absorbed. We have a commitment to maintain the staff and their livelihood. However, we would make sure that the fresh recruitment would only happen as per the requirement so as not to add more burden,” Mundhe had said while speaking at an event at the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) earlier this month.
