Chennai: From 1 January 2019, all newly-registered public transport vehicles including the ones owned by the government except autorickshaws and e-rickshaws should mandatorily have CCTV cameras, vehicle location tracking (VLT) and emergency panic button to help passengers in case of emergencies, according to a new notification issued by Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

However, all public public transport vehicles registered before the deadline can add the three features based on the guidance of their respective State governments.

“The Centre has exempted all public service vehicles registered upto 31 December, 2018, provided that after the expiry of the time-period of the exemption specified, the concerned State or Union territory will notify the date for compliance of requirements,” an official said.

The emphasis on safety measures on public transport was triggered following the brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in Delhi in 2012. It was in November 2016 that the Road Ministry had issued a notification, setting 1 April deadline for installation of vehicle tracking system and panic buttons in the approximately 50 lakh commercial public transport vehicles in the country. The Ministry, in January 2018, re-issued the notification.

It has roped in Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, the research and development organisation of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, to help States set up command and control centres to track the functioning of these devices.

As per the latest Transport Ministry notification, the view of the Central government is that it is necessary and expedient in public interest to notify standards in respect of equipping or fitment of vehicle location tracking devices and emergency buttons in all public service vehicles.