Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Mar 31: The Karnataka government has set fixed prices for the mandatory installation of GPS and panic buttons in public vehicles, cracking down on vendors overcharging for the devices.

Following the 2012 Nirbhaya incident in Delhi, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) mandated the installation of Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) devices and emergency panic buttons in all public service vehicles, including buses, maxi cabs, and school buses. However, vehicle owners had raised concerns not only about the mandatory installation but also about the exorbitant prices being charged for the devices.

While the market price for these devices is around Rs 4,000, vendors were reportedly charging up to Rs 18,000. The surge in complaints prompted the transport department to intervene. After discussions, the government has now set the price of a VLTD device at Rs 5,424, each emergency button at Rs 325, and the annual network and maintenance fee at Rs 1,800.

The panic button installation also comes with specific regulations. The number of buttons required depends on the seating capacity of the vehicle. For instance, a car with five seats must have at least three panic buttons, while a passenger bus with 21 seats needs seven buttons, according to a transport department official.

The newly established prices are exclusive of all applicable taxes. Additionally, the government has made it clear that vehicles without VLT and panic buttons will not have their fitness certificates renewed.

Currently, approximately six lac vehicles in the state are equipped with Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) devices and emergency panic buttons, according to available data.