Following strong protest by a group of driving school proprietors and their unions, the driving license test in the revised format was not conducted as planned by the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) at its testing ground at Chevayur on Thursday. The scheduled tests of over 50 candidates was disrupted by the protesters who turned up wearing black badges to the spot.
There were also attempts to send back the applicants from the testing ground and prevent the entry of people who came to the spot for submitting various applications. Functionaries of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Indian National Trade Union Congress, and the All Kerala Driving School Owners Association expressed solidarity with the protesters.
MVD officials said only the fitness inspections of motor vehicles were done on Thursday as no candidates turned up for the test amidst the protest launched by the driving schools. They also hinted that all the pre-scheduled tests would be postponed in the wake of the indefinite stir.
The owner of a driving school in the city said the driving test in the new format should not be conducted without ensuring adequate training and testing facilities. He said many driving instructors in the State were clueless about the new format and they would not be able to prepare learners for the test.
The driving school owners who turned up for the protest also pointed out that the order to avoid vehicles older than 15 years for driving training was not practical for many. Replacement of existing vehicles with newer ones would not be an easy task for entrepreneurs in the sector, they added.
