Vishakhapatanam: Indian road safety rules make it clear that a foreigner, who desires to drive in the country, must possess a driving licence issued by the local Road Transport Authority (RTA).
Inquiries by Deccan Chronicle revealed that not even 20 foreigners from the city have taken a driving licence. This is miniscule considering that thousands of foreigners have been staying here for years together. Over 1,000 students, drawn from 42 countries, are studying in Andhra University and GITAM. Even the city police are clueless about it. While some visit the city for studies, some are touists and many others come for jobs, including in star hotels.
Driving licences will be issued to foreigners under Section 9 (3) (a) (III) of the Motor Vehicle Act after the individual completes all the required formalities. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Visakhapatnam RTA deputy transport commissioner G.C. Raja Ratnam said “Hardly 20 driving licences have been issued to foreigners. Lack of awareness about the importance of possessing a local driving licence can be attributed to the insignificant number. Institutions need to highlight this aspect. The licence will be useful from risks like termination of passport in case of any accidents or criminal activities.”
Foreigners are frequently spotted on the city roads driving vehicles of friends, colleagues or classmates.
AU International Students’ Affairs dean EN Dhanamjaya Rao said “We will now take this on a serious note. We have faced some experiences when our overseas students were involved in road accidents.”
GITAM International Students’ Affairs director KPC Kishan said “We were unaware of this rule. We will now include this in our dos and don’ts for foreign students. We will also request the RTA to conduct special driving melas for foreign students.”
City additional commissioner of police (Traffic) Ch. Adinarayana Rao said “We have so far not concentrated on this. We will now tell our traffic staff to keep an eye on foreigners driving vehicles in the city limits.”
