By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, July 17: Installation of GPS (Global Positioning System) in vehicles, especially heavy vehicles, will be implemented from the Fiscal Year 2021/22, according to the recently unveiled budget for that year.
The officials at the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) informed that the vehicle owners will install the navigating system in their vehicles and provide the information about their locations to the authority.
"Public transports, heavy vehicles, vehicles used to transport goods, and ambulance and others will be asked to install GPS which will allow the concerned authority to know about their whereabouts," said Lok Nath Bhusal, information officer at DoTM.
That knowledge will then be used to monitor vehicular movements and manage traffic effectively. However, the plan to install GPS is nothing new. The government has been floating the idea year after year, only to be put on the backburner later. Privacy concerns and potential misuse of the information might be some of the reasons for that.
"The information of the location will be known only to the concerned authorities like Traffic Police. The authorities will not use the information for purposes other than they are allowed or liable to," said Bhusal.
The DoTM also stated that the GPS-enabled tracking of vehicles would allow them to alert the drivers on the possible floods and landslides along the roads during monsoon.
At the same time, the officials stressed that they would mostly focus on public transport for installing GPS for now. The DoTM is currently working to make a system which would allow them to track the vehicles.
"The process of GPS installation in vehicles is likely to start within 2021/22," Bhusal added.
As per Bhusal, the installation of GPS in private vehicles is not mandatory but is in everyone’s interest if they do it.
"The GPS system would at least allow vehicle owners to keep an eye on their vehicles, which in turn can prevent them from getting stolen," said Bhusal.
Supporting the plan, Traffic Police officers informed that the plan, if materialized, not only would greatly help in managing vehicular traffic, but also help in saving commuters’ time as well as fuel.