Road transport is the dominant mode of transport in India, and it plays a pivotal role in supporting economic and social development in the State. Only the road transport system provide access to most of our rural areas and link harbours/manufacturing units with urban/rural market centres. Motor vehicles hence remain the predominant mode in Tamil Nadu for passenger and freight movement. Realising the vital importance of road transport, the Transport Department is geared up to meet new challenges which are arising due to rapid industrialization and urbanization of our State. The primary task of the Transport Department is to forecast the transportation needs of the people and to fulfill their aspirations by appropriate statutory and non-statutory efforts. The efforts taken so far and proposed to be taken in the near future are stated in the following paragraphs.

The Transport Department functions under the administrative charge of the Home Department.  The Transport Commissioner is the administrative Head of the Department. He also acts as the State Transport Authority and Commissioner for Road safety.  He is assisted by three Joint Transport commissioners. In Chennai city, Joint Transport Commissioner (Chennai Zone) is the Regional Transport Authority, while in the districts, the respective District Collectors are the Regional Transport Authorities.  They dispose applications for permits under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. Appeals and revision petitions against the orders of the Regional Transport Authorities and the State Transport Authority are heard and disposed by the State Transport Appellate Tribunal, Chennai. There are 46 Regional Transport Offices ,40 Unit offices and 19 Checkposts in Tamil Nadu.

The Transport Department is administering the provisions of Motor Vehicles Act 1988, Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, and Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles Taxation Act and Rules, 1974 and all allied matters thereto. The important functions are as follows:-

i. Registration of motor vehicles, grant of permits to transport vehicles, making arrangements for operation of passenger transport service/Cargo movements among the neighbouring States by entering into agreements with them;

ii. Ensuring fitness of Transport vehicles and issue / renewal of certificates therefor, issue of driving licences including International Driving licences, conductor licences, inspection of vehicles involved in accidents;

iii. Collection of tax and fees, controlling vehicular pollution, promotion of road safety measures, facilitating setting up of Emergency Accident Relief Centres and monitoring their functioning.

(a) Before going into details of steps being taken by the Transport Department, a perusal of vehicular position and pattern of growth of vehicles in Tamil Nadu would be relevant in understanding the magnitude of the tasks involved. Tamil Nadu ranks second in the Country besides Maharashtra in the total vehicle population. In respect of two wheelers, Tamil Nadu tops the list.

The number of vehicles are increasing daily in our State. The following detailed table furnishes the information.

The growth rate is roughly 10% per annum. In Chennai City alone, about 600 vehicles are registered every day, while in Tamil Nadu 5000 vehicles. Roughly 12,00,000 vehicles are registered in Tamil Nadu every year.

With a view to providing fast, hassle free and efficient services to vehicle owners and public, computerization of Transport Department has been taken up by the Government. It is one of the major e-governance exercises. The total outlay works out to around Rs.20.00 Crores. This includes, software development, hardware procurement, site preparation, training of staff etc. The programme has been split into 2 phases. Under Phase I, seventeen offices have been computerized. Currently, the issue of Driving Licences, Registration Certificates, Permits, payment of Tax etc., are done through computers in these offices. The remaining offices will be covered by the programme in the next few months. By this facility, the waiting time of vehicle owners and general public has been reduced to a great extent. Once the computerization programme is stabilized, introduction of smart cards for driving licences and Registration certificates will also be taken up. Efforts are also being pursued to introduce all I.T. oriented reforms to achieve maximum customer satisfaction.

One of the prime duties of the Department is to bring up efficient drivers by checking the driving skills of the applicants scientifically. Vigorous tests and procedures have been prescribed both for issuing learner’s licence and regular licence. Training schools established throughout the State impart driving training to the candidates. Transport Department ensures that these schools are fully equipped with necessary learning materials and qualified instructors. Driving Schools found wanting in equipments, qualified instructor etc., are de-recognized. That apart, the Government have constructed testing tracks in Dharmapuri, Thanjavur, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Kancheepuram, Virudhunagar, Namakkal, Thiruvallur, Dindigul, Thoothukudi, Thiruvannamalai, Perambalur, Karur and Vellore. In Tiruchengode, Tiruchirappalli, Sivagangai, Tirupur, Madurai(North) and Salem works relating to the construction of testing tracks are in progress. Institute of Road Transport is developing a modern testing Centre with all facilities at Tharamani in Chennai. Eight Regional Transport Offices located in Chennai City will utilise this track. At Theni, the District Collector, has allotted 5 acres of land in the Master Plan complex for the construction of Regional Transport Office building and Testing Track. The Government propose to construct atleast one Testing Centre in each district. The ultimate aim is to grant driving licence only to competent candidates.

Co-ordinating road safety activities of various Departments now rests on the Transport Department. Though this is a new assignment, the Department is efficiently discharging the responsibilities. The recent studies of the Department reveals that overspeeding and drunken driving are the main causes for the accidents. To check these menaces, a powerful awareness campaign has already been launched. In Chennai City advertisement boards carrying slogans against overspeeding and drunken driving have already been displayed on Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses, as educating the public is an effective tool for promoting road safety. Overspeeding vehicles on Highways are intercepted by Highway patrols and penal procedures are initiated.

Besides, road margins and junction points have been improved. Special drives against encroachments are periodically launched to pave way for easy movement of vehicles. Parking slots are being insisted for commercial establishments as road side parking of vehicles is always a source of hindrance to smooth flow of traffic. Centre medians are constructed wherever necessary to avoid head on collisions. Stringent action is being taken against vehicles having fitted with dazzling head lights.

Besides Road Safety Commissioner, a Core Committee under the Chairmanship of Home Secretary is reviewing the road safety programmes and recommends new strategies for implementation. Voluntary associations, Non-Government Organisations, Auto-mobile Associations and Consumer Groups are also associated in the road safety programmes.

A Road Safety Council has been established in Tamil Nadu under section 215 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. It has been recently reconstituted under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Chief Minister.

Besides, District Road Safety Councils have been constituted for each District under the Chairmanship of the District Collectors. These Councils look into various local problems and implement road safety programmes.

The Government have created a Road Safety Fund to finance Road Safety programmes.  Allocation is being made to the fund from Compounding Fees and Spot Fines collected by Transport and Police Departments.  The fund is administered by an inter departmental Committee headed by the Home Secretary.

The allocation made so far to this fund for "Road Safety Improvement Works are as follows:-

Year Allocated                  Amount

2000 – 2001                 Rs. 2.00 Crores

2001 – 2002                 Rs. 3.75 Crores

2002 – 2003                 Rs. 5.00 Crores

2003 – 2004                 Rs. 5.00 Crores

2004 – 2005                 Rs. 5.00 Crores

Projects all over the State and particularly activities in districts are financed from this fund. For the year 2005-2006, a sum of Rs. 6.00 Crores has been provided.