Maruti Suzuki has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government’s transport department and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to set up its Institute of Driver Training and Research (IDTR) in Rajkot.

This will be the second of its kind in Gujarat after the one in Waghodia, Vadodara district, and will focus on training drivers of trucks and school vans in addition to first-time aspirants.

“Unlike other locations, where the agreement is only between Maruti and the concerned State government , three parties have come together this time around to set up an IDTR,” says Mahesh Rajoria, Senior Advisor, Driving Training, Maruti Suzuki. As part of this plan, the transport department has identified and procured land around Rajkot while ONGC will fund the civil construction work. In its turn, added Rajoria, Maruti will provide resources such as test vehicles, simulators and trainers.

Non-profit centre

The IDTR will function as a non-profit centre. Of the revenues collected in the form of certification charges for existing commercial drivers, any surplus remaining will be reinvested in developing training infrastructure.

The Rajkot institute will be spread across 64,000 square metres with the driving track taking up nearly 70 per cent of the space. The idea is to inculcate a “positive driving attitude” while honing knowledge skills on route geometry and identifying potential risks.

The architectural designs will be finalised in a couple of months while construction will take about 15-18 months. Once it is up the IDTR will have 20 trainers, most of whom will be sourced locally.

The objective is to train 30,000 people every year through various duration courses lasting up to 45 days. The Rajkot institute will be slightly smaller than the one in Waghodia but will cater to new and existing commercial drivers.

“There will be greater focus on road safety at Rajkot where drivers become aware of the responsibilities of carrying hazardous materials,” says Rajoria. “Likewise, they need to show a lot of care while driving a school van.” In addition, they will be trained on matters relating to maintenance and fuel costs.

Waghodia, in contrast, caters to a larger social cause in terms of training tribal youth from the backward districts of Dahod, Chhota Udepur, Panchmahal and the Dangs. Once certified by Maruti for driving skills, they can comfortably access industries nearby for jobs.

Empowering youth

The Waghodia initiative has worked wonders for tribal youth. The institute has tied up with over 20 companies across the State, which includes big names such as Vodafone, Zydus Cadila, Lupin and Sun Pharma, to help out in the placement process. In addition, there has been a reasonable number of female students who now feel more empowered and economically independent after learning to drive.

The Gujarat government has been intensifying its efforts to reduce road accidents, which snuff out nearly two lakh lives every years across the country. From Gujarat’s point of view, the picture is relatively better with the number of road accidents falling from 23,712 in 2014 to 21,859 in 2016. Gujarat is now striving to bring down road accidents by 50 per cent by 2020 and this is where initiatives like driving schools contribute to the cause.

Maruti has been operating IDTRs for the last 17 years at six locations. While one is almost ready in Bihar, MoUs have been signed with the governments of Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

In a country where a car is a status symbol, it is only natural that everyone aspires to own one. As demand for cars surges in Tier 2/3 and 4 regions, the need for safe driving skills becomes an imperative. This is where State governments need to do their bit in enhancing safety and it is in this context that the Maruti drive with its IDTRs becomes relevant.

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