Odisha STA Inks MoU With Ashok Leyland For Development & Management Of 3 New IDTR

Cuttack: For development, management and operation of three new Institutes of Driving Training and Research (IDTR), the State Transport Authority (STA) of Odisha signed an MoU with Ashok Leyland on Monday.

The new institutes are located in Berhampur, Keonjhar and Bonai in Sundargarh district, official sources said.

The MoU was exchanged between Joint Commissioner Transport (Technical) & Principal, Government Driving Training School P K Mohanty and  Divisional Manager, Driving Training, Ashok Leyland & Principal, HMV Driver Training Institute, Chhatia, Sadiq Hussain Syed.

A Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMV) driving training institute is already functioning in Jajpur’s Chhatia since 2013. The Chhatia HMV Institute was jointly established by the Odisha government and Ashok Leyland to train high quality drivers to meet the demand of transport industry and make local youths employable by adopting skill development in HMV driving. The institute has trained 60581 drivers so far.

After the success of HMV Driving Institute, the Odisha government has decided to set up IDTRs in Berhampur, Keonjhar and Bonai, particularly mining belt of the state where the requirement of skilled drivers is more.

Speaking on the occasion, Transport Commissioner Arun Bothra, said Odisha government is providing excellent facilities to create skilled HMV drivers. “No state has such numbers of IDTRs in the country. The upcoming facility will help enhance the HMV driving skills of drivers particularly in mining areas. It will help our youth to get employment within and outside the state,” he said.

“These IDTRs will not only meet the requirement of drivers in different sectors, but also help in reducing the fatalities, injury and loss of property due to road accidents. Besides that, a trained and skilled driver will ensure timely and safe delivery of the goods,” Bothra said.

Through these institutes, which also house hostels, HMV drivers will get practical training on different types of terrains and road conditions. The tenure of skilled driving training is 30 days as prescribed by the CMVR (Central Motor Vehicle Rule), 1989. Once the tests are cleared, the centre will also issue driving licenses to the skilled drivers.

Mohanty said the monthly capacity of Berhampur, Keonjhar and Bonai to train 140, 134 and 150 drivers respectively. The construction of three IDTRs is completed by the state government and the operation and management will be done in PPP mode with Ashok Leyland.

The infrastructure of the three new centres is ready and the training is expected to commence soon. “In the one month course, driving skills of the applicants will be enhanced and they will be provided training on good road behavior and etiquette. They will also be imparted training on defensive driving and techniques to achieve better fuel economy,” he added.