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The State Transport Authority (STA), Odisha on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ashok Leyland for development, management and operation of three new Institutes of Driving Training and Research (IDTR).

The new institutes will be operated at Berhampur, Keonjhar and Bonai in Sundargarh district.

A heavy motor vehicle (HMV) driving training institute has been functioning in Jajpur's Chhatia since 2013.

The Chhatia HMV Institute was jointly established by the Odisha government and Ashok Leyland to train high quality drivers to meet the demand of the transport industry and to make local youths employable by adopting skill development in HMV driving.

The institute has trained 60,581 drivers so far, an official said.

Now, the state government has decided to set up another three such institutes at Berhampur, Keonjhar and Bonai, particularly in the mining belt of the state where the requirement of skilled drivers are more, he said.

Transport Commissioner Arun Bothra said: "In our country, Odisha is providing excellent facilities to create skilled HMV drivers. No state has such numbers of IDTRs in the country."

The upcoming facility will help enhance the HMV driving skills of the drivers particularly in mining areas of Odisha, he said.

These IDTRs will not only meet the requirement of drivers in different sectors, but also help in reducing the fatalities, injury and loss of property due to road accidents.

Besides, a trained and skilled driver will ensure timely and safe delivery of the goods, he added.

Through this institutes, which also house hostels, HMV drivers will get practical training on different types of terrains and road conditions.

The tenure of skilled driving training is 30 days as prescribed by the CMVR (Central Motor Vehicle Rule), 1989. Once the tests are cleared, the centre will also issue driving licenses to the skilled drivers.

Government driving training school principal Pradeep Kumar Mohanty said the monthly capacity of Berhampur, Keonjhar and Bonai is to train 140, 134 and 150 drivers, respectively.

The construction of three IDTRs is completed by the state government and the operation and management will be done in PPP mode with Ashok Leyland, Mohanty informed.

The infrastructure of the three new centres is ready and the training is expected to commence soon.

In the one-month course, driving skills of the applicants will be enhanced and they will be provided training on good road behaviour and etiquette, said the transport official.