Delhi: 6 ITIs, Indira Gandhi Technical varsity to get driving schools on campus

Officials said three more educational institutions will be roped in for the project, which is likely to be launched by January next year.

In a first, six Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW) will have dedicated driving schools inside their campuses as part of a project to ensure the next generation of drivers “learn the skill properly” and “act responsibly” on the roads, said officials from the state transport department on Tuesday.

Automated driving test centre at the Institute Of Driving and Traffic Research in New Delhi. (HT Photo)

“The idea is to start introducing driving as a life skill and there cannot be a better place to do so than having driving schools inside educational institutions. We have held high-level meetings with several colleges and the government’s education department, and have so far finalised seven institutions, which will have driving schools in the first phase,” said Ashish Kundra, Delhi’s transport commissioner.

Officials said three more educational institutions will be roped in for the project, which is likely to be launched by January next year.

According to official estimates, every year, around 12,000 students graduate from the seven institutions identified for the project in Delhi.

“In the driving course that will be offered at these colleges or universities, a student will have to complete 31 hours of theory and practical classes. At least 21 hours will be theory and 10 hours will be practical. It will be flexible so that a student can attend it post college hours,” said a senior transport official on condition of anonymity.

Once a student has completed the driving course, s/he will be eligible to appear for the driving test on the same track and a licence will be issued. Currently, applicants can get a learners’ licence from home by giving an online test.

According to the state transport department’s website, Delhi currently has 64 authorised driving schools. However, the actual number of driving schools in the city is much more, said officials adding that many such schools operate without following the set procedure of clocking 31 hours of theory and practical classes.

In October 2018, the Delhi government started a project of issuing learners’ driving licences to students of Delhi Technological University and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.