Commercial vehicles must have GPS: cops

Come 2012, the Delhi Police will keep a virtual eye on commercial vehicles, which would be issued ‘entry permission’ for the year.

Come 2012, the Delhi Police will keep a virtual eye on commercial vehicles, which would be issued ‘entry permission’ for the year.

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By the end of October, the police will ask all commercial vehicles — that seek entry permission during the time of the day when their movement is restricted on Delhi roads — to install the Global Positioning System (GPS). The entry permissions could be revoked if the vehicle is found flouting norms.

The movement of commercial vehicles is restricted on arterial roads during morning and evening peak hours. But about 5,000 such vehicles, engaged in essential services, are exempted from these restrictions. But police say many of these vehicles misuse entry permission by engaging in businesses for which they are not authorised.

“Currently, we do not have a system in place to monitor them. Hundreds of them violate traffic norms but through conventional checking, we can catch only a few. These vehicles are responsible for several road accidents and traffic congestion,” said a senior police officer.

“We will not give any commercial vehicle that is not GPS-enabled to ply on city roads during no entry hours,” said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit System Ltd (DIMTS), an urban transport and infrastructure services company would install GPS in these vehicles and monitor their movement, said official sources.

“Installation cost will be borne by the vehicle owner while cost for monitoring the vehicles would be borne by Delhi police,” said a police officer.

GPS will enable the police to monitor movement of these vehicles. “This move will help decongest Delhi’s arterial roads,” Garg added.