Private drivers in Panchkula district have to travel approximately 300 kilometers to the Ashoka Leyland driving training center in Kaithal for the renewal of their heavy driving license. This renewal process, including travel, wastes both time and money. In 2014, with the efforts of Advocate Vijay Bansal, State President of Shivalik Vikas Manch and former Secretary of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, the Haryana Government opened a Driving Training School in Panchkula specifically for training heavy vehicle drivers. This initiative has benefited thousands of youth and drivers in the area, providing employment opportunities and other benefits through licensed training. All necessary facilities, including training, are available at the Panchkula Training School.
However, private holders of heavy driving licenses in the district are encountering difficulties. Instead of being able to renew their licenses in Panchkula, they are required to travel to Kaithal for a one-day training session at a private institute in order to obtain a certificate for renewal. Meanwhile, drivers working for the Haryana Government are able to renew their licenses in Panchkula. This discrepancy results in private heavy vehicle drivers wasting time and money traveling long distances.
Advocate Vijay Bansal has sent a memorandum to Navdeep Virk, Principal Secretary of the Transport Department in Haryana, requesting that certificates for one-day training for license renewal of private drivers be issued at the Panchkula Driving Training Center itself. He points out that while the government has a joint venture with the Ashoka Leyland Driver Training Institute in Kaithal, it is unjust to mandate private drivers to obtain certificates from this distant location. Most drivers in Panchkula district, including those in Pinjore and Kalka, face financial difficulties. They must pay Rs 800, including a fee of Rs 472 to the Kaithal driving school, in addition to transportation costs. Moreover, losing a day’s wages further exacerbates their financial burden.
Bansal emphasizes that the Panchkula training center is equipped to handle license renewals, as it already issues new licenses. Therefore, he urges Principal Secretary Navdeep Virk to issue an order allowing for the issuance of one-day training certificates for the renewal of driving licenses for private heavy vehicle drivers in Panchkula itself.