Bhadrak: The purpose for which a driving testing track at Langudi in this district, the first in the state, was built at lakhs of rupees seems to have been defeated as the RTO authorities have left it in disuse.
The Langudi driving test track has been lying locked and has developed cracks at many places.
Surprisingly, the authorities concerned have been conducting test of driving license seekers in the crammed space on the premises of the RTO at Charampa.
It is alleged that the contractor has botched up the construction of the track while its boundary walls and other portions have not been completed. Many portions of the track lie hidden amid shrubs and wild creepers.
According to reports, the driving track situated 14 km away from here was built by the road and building department on 1.50 acre at Langudi. Its construction work was undertaken at a cost of Rs 40 lakh since August 24, 2010. Even though seven years have passed, it has not been made functional. As per rule, the regional transport officer is to issue diving licences to people for four wheelers, two wheelers and heavy vehicles after testing their driving skills on the tortuous track.
Now, driving license seekers are made to test their skills on the premises of RTO, which is not the proper yardstick to gauge their skills. The result is that those who are issued licenses without giving proper test of their skills many a time cause accidents, experts said. The track’s civil work has been completed, but the area has not been connected with electricity.
A staff of the RTO, requesting anonymity, said a technical committee from the transport department has inspected the track January 5, 2015 and got to know about its status of work.
Locals have demanded that the department make the track functional immediately. Another RTO staffer said the track will be made operational soon, but the applicants of driving licenses will have commuting problems because the track is located at a distant location from the RTO office. PNN
