Motorists with valid driving licence for Light Motor Vehicles can now drive autorickshaws as per the Transport Mission Mode Project’s flagship uniform pan-India applications Sarathi for driving licence.
Henceforth, no separate driving licence will be issued for driving autorickshaws in the State as it cannot be ported separately in the Sarathi, the Web application developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). Those holding driving licence for autorickshaws will be ported as e-rickshaws and they need not take separate driving licence for Light Motor Vehicles for plying autorickshaws. Under the new dispensation, the MVD can issue driving licence for e-rickshaws. But, they cannot drive fossil-fuelled autorickshaws.
State Transport Commissioner M. R. Ajith Kumar, in his order on June 8, said those holding e-rickshaw driving licence issued before January 1, 2019, under the old driving licence issual system will be allowed to drive autorickshaws in the State.
The Transport Commissioner’s intervention comes in the wake of reports of numerous driving schools pressurising those coming forward to obtain driving licence for plying autorickshaws to go for the costly LMV licence in the wake of the absence of autorickshaw category in Sarathi.
Porting
Joint Transport Commissioner and Secretary, STA, Rajeev Puthalath said 80% of the porting of the driving licences into Sarathi had already been completed by the department.
“Motorists can look forward for more services and features once the porting of the driving licences issued in Ernakulam, Thrissur and Idukki districts is completed,” he added.
Under Sarathi, licence renewal, duplicate licence renewal, addition of class, international driving permit, learner’s licence and licence-related fee and charges are covered.