Karnal MLA Anand demands closure of driving institute

Karnal MLA Jagmohan Anand on Wednesday strongly raised concerns of the city’s residents in the Haryana Assembly, highlighting the difficulties people faced in obtaining driving licences due to the Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) system. He urged the government to shut down the IDTR system, citing the “inconvenience” it caused to the public.

“Due to the IDTR, youngsters were facing a lot of inconvenience to get driving licence. I request the government to close the institute with immediate effect,” said Anand in the Haryana Assembly.

This institute was set up by the state government in collaboration with Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Private Ltd on 9.25 acres at a cost of Rs 34 crore under corporate social responsibility (CSR) to curb road accidents.

The institute is equipped with an advanced driving test track. It was inaugurated by former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on August 6, 2022. The centre has the facility of simulators for all categories like two-wheelers, four-wheelers and heavy vehicles. The driving test was started at the IDTR on June 2, 2023, which was earlier conducted by the SDM office with the help of the Haryana Roadways at Sector 12.

As per residents, it is a tough task for youths seeking driving licence for light motor vehicles (LMVs) as a majority of them fail in the test. After facing difficulties, the residents raised this issue with the local MLA, who raised it in the Haryana Assembly now.

Anand also demanded the Health Minister Arti Singh Rao to shift the District Civil Hospital to Sector 32, which is already approved. “The land of the present Civil Hospital has already been transferred to the Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC). The project to shift Civil Hospital to Sector 32 has already been approved and land has also been finalised, but it is yet to be shifted,” said Anand.

He emphasised the need to increase the number of ambulances in the District Civil Hospital. Anand raised the issue of delay in renovation work of the Karnal Aviation Club and said that it was still pending. He also demanded to regularise 26 illegal colonies, a resolution of which had already been sent to the government.

Anand sought the installation of streetlights on Meerut Road and also raised the issue of flyovers on this road near Sectors 6 and 5 in view of the increasing traffic.

Besides, the MLA raised the issue of construction of entry and exit points on the NH-44. The MLA also demanded to develop an auto-market outside the

city, which will also decongest the city.

Additionally, he advocated for increasing the income limit under family ID for government welfare schemes from Rs 1.80 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh, as many needy people had been excluded due to the ITR-related income fluctuations. He also pressed for an increase in the number of fire stations in the city to enhance emergency response capabilities.