Maruti Suzuki to set up driver training institute in Andhra Pradesh

Maruti Suzuki India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Andhra Pradesh to set up, manage and run an Institute of Driving Training and Traffic Research (IDTR) at Venkatachalam village in Darsi, Prakasham district.

At present, the carmaker manages 6 IDTRs (two each in Delhi and Haryana, one each in Uttarakhand and and Gujarat; a new IDTR facility is under construction in Aurangabad, Bihar).

The MoU was signed by N Balasubramanyam, transport commissioner, State of Andhra Pradesh and Mahesh Rajoria, assistant vice-president (Driving Training), Maruti Suzuki India in the presence of dignitaries from the government of Andhra Pradesh and Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT).

Speaking on the occasion, Mahesh Rajoria said, “The inception of driving training and traffic research institutes was with an aim to upscale professional driver training and lay down the ground rules for safe driving. Maruti Suzuki has been working on this front for over a decade now. I am confident that our experience in this field of road safety will add immense value to this newest facility.”

The 20-acre site will be provided by the Andhra Pradesh government, while Maruti Suzuki will run and manage the institute. The facility to be built as per MoRTH guidelines will consist of an institute building, a hostel and training tracks. The infrastructure is expected to be ready by 2018.

Set up under the PPP model, this will be Maruti Suzuki’s first IDTR in South India. Maruti Suzuki will undertake the training on lines of the other IDTRs including the All Gujarat Institute of Driving, Technical Training and Research (AGIDTTR), Vadodara.

The carmaker plans to collaborate with the various government departments like the Tribal Development Department to promote road safety and driving as an employment opportunity among the tribal youth of Andhra Pradesh. Furthermore, it will advise and support the government for research on matters related to road safety, driving and any other matter which contribute to safety on roads and facilitate in improving the transport system in the state.