Monoculars to get driving licence

A campaign by a citybased scientist and others across the nation has resulted in the Centre issuing orders to all state governments to allow persons with a single eye or vision in a single eye to obtain a driving licence.

The application of CCMB scientist Dr Mandaar Deshmukh, who has monocular vision, was rejected by the Uppal RTA two years ago.

Dr Deshmukh, a nephew of Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari, secured a written explanation for the rejection and wrote to the Union ministry.

After the Centre passed the order, Dr Deshmukh on Friday applied for a learner’s licence and got it on Friday.

Mr B. Sai Ram Reddy, motor vehicle inspector at the Kondapur RTA office, said that previously many applicants with a single eye used to adopt various methods to divert the attention of officials by wearing goggles or cosmetic contact lenses during the driving test. “We have rejected nearly 200 such applications in the last four years,” he said.

The circular issued by Mr Abhay Damle, joint secretary, ministry of road transport and highways, to principal secretaries and secretaries of transport departments of all states imposes two key conditions for applicants with one eye.

The applicant must obtain a certificate from a government ophthalmologists that the visual acuity in remaining or the better eye is 6/12 or more, and horizontal visual field should be 120ba or more. Besides, sufficient time of 6 months has been allowed after the loss of vision in the other eye for the person to adapt to the loss of the same.

MANY SINGLE eyed applicants used to adopt various methods to divert attention by wearing goggles or cosmetic contact lenses

NEARLY 200 such applications were rejected