Odisha govt makes vehicle location tracking technology mandatory for new commercial vehicles from 2023

The government of Odisha intends to install VLT and panic buttons in commercial vehicles.

To improve safety, the Odisha government has announced that Panic Buttons and Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) devices will be installed in all commercial vehicles operating in the state commencing next year. The decision was made by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways directives to protect commuter safety and to help paramedics arrive faster in the event of an accident.

The Odisha government has mandated the installation of vehicle location tracking (VLT) devices with panic buttons mandatory for all new commercial vehicles registered on or after January 1, 2023, to improve the safety of women and children when travelling in public vehicles.

According to a notification issued by the state transportation department, certain vehicles registered on or after January 1, 2023, must meet the condition at the time of registration. Similarly, any vehicles registered on or before December 31, 2022, must comply with the criteria by March 20, 2023.

According to an official, the transport commissioner will release specific rules and procedures for the installation of a VLT device and a panic button.

All commercial vehicles (with yellow registration number plates), including passenger buses, minibuses, school buses, and cabs/taxis, will be required to have VLT devices for the safety of women and children, according to Sanjay Kumar Biswal, joint commissioner of transport (road safety).

Women in danger can use emergency buttons located near their seats. When the panic button is touched, an emergency signal is sent to the command and control centre (CCC), after which the vehicle is monitored and essential assistance is offered, he said, adding that the command centre would be set up in Bhubaneswar soon.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had already mandated that VLT devices and emergency buttons be installed in all public sector vehicles beginning April 1, 2018. Later, through notifications, the Centre enabled the states to do so.

What Exactly Are VLT Devices?

VLT devices, also known as Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) devices, are comprised of a hardware unit equipped with a GNSS logger and a GPRS/3G/4G integrated communication system, as well as a power supply and backup mechanism, and are used to track the location of commercial vehicles.

With it installed in commercial vehicles, Monitoring Centres (backend systems) can follow a vehicle's location to quickly locate it in the event of an accident involving the vehicle, resulting in faster paramedic response.