Scoring 60% marks is necessary to obtain a learner’s licence.

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday suggested doing away with mandatory objective tests for obtaining a learner’s driving licence during his meeting with Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari. While multiple sources said that Kejriwal was of the opinion that the present provision only provides room for corruption, road safety experts disagreed and warned any such move would be contrary to best practices which have helped cut road deaths.

TOI has learnt that during the meeting Kejriwal pointed out how regional transport offices have become dens of corruption and motor licensing officers use their discretion while issuing learner’s licences to candidates. “He said since the applicant starts to learn driving after getting the licence, so he/ she can learn the necessary norms and stringent tests should be conducted while giving the final licence to a driver,” said an official, who was present in the meeting.

Gadkari was also visibly convinced with this reasoning. “No decision can be taken just like that without looking into all aspects. We need to see whether certain educational qualification of applicant can make him eligible to get a learner’s licence,” a ministry official said.

At present, the law mandates an applicant to submit his proof of age (18 years), address and medical certificate before taking the objective test. The objective questions primarily relate to traffic signage, traffic laws, right of way and what a driver should do in case of a crash. Scoring 60% marks is necessary to obtain a learner’s licence.

In developed countries, which have safer roads, the test for getting a learner’s licence is far more stringent and obtaining a permanent licence is considered an achievement. “Poor road user culture in India is primarily because drivers don’t understand the rights and responsibilities of the right of way, which is to be tested before a person gets a learner’s licence. Most of the knowledge must be known before you are issued a learner’s licence. So the theory part must be tested before you get learner’s licence and the practical aspects must be tested before you get a permanent licence,” said road safety expert Rohit Baluja.

He added if we give licence as the developed world, then the number of vehicles will reduce drastically. “If Kejriwal or any other leader wants to fight corruption, they must ensure stricter and technology-based tests to get both learner’s and permanent licence without any compromise rather than doing way with the norm,” Baluja said.

The recent proposal of transport ministry to do away with the minimum educational qualification for driving licence is being questioned and even a Supreme Court appointed panel has reportedly objected to this.

