ALL truck cabs in India must be air conditioned from 2025, at a cost of INR10,000 (US$122) to INR20,000 per truck, reports The Times of India.
While high-end trucks manufactured by global players such as Volvo and Scania already come with air conditioned cabins, most Indian have yet to install aircon.
Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that 40 bypass projects worth around INR410 billion would be constructed in Uttar Pradesh, giving a huge push to development and connectivity in the state.
Mr Gadkari said he has approved a proposal to make aircon mandatory with officials saying that a transition period of 18 months was necessary for the industry to upgrade.
'In our country, some drivers are behind wheels for 12 or 14 hours whereas in other countries, there is a restriction on the number of hours for bus and truck drivers to be on duty,' he said.
Our drivers operate vehicles in temperatures of 43 to 47 degrees and we must imagine the condition of drivers. I have signed the file that all truck cabins will be air conditioned cabins,' the minister said.
'The industry had demanded that the provision should be optional. Some of them had even claimed that the drivers may feel sleepy in aircon cabins. We had the same notion about bus drivers and the drivers' cabins were non-AC for years. But the introduction of Volvo buses ended that perception and now all luxury buses have AC cabins for drivers as well,' said a ministry official.
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While high-end trucks manufactured by global players such as Volvo and Scania already come with air conditioned cabins, most Indian have yet to install aircon.
Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that 40 bypass projects worth around INR410 billion would be constructed in Uttar Pradesh, giving a huge push to development and connectivity in the state.
Mr Gadkari said he has approved a proposal to make aircon mandatory with officials saying that a transition period of 18 months was necessary for the industry to upgrade.
'In our country, some drivers are behind wheels for 12 or 14 hours whereas in other countries, there is a restriction on the number of hours for bus and truck drivers to be on duty,' he said.
Our drivers operate vehicles in temperatures of 43 to 47 degrees and we must imagine the condition of drivers. I have signed the file that all truck cabins will be air conditioned cabins,' the minister said.
'The industry had demanded that the provision should be optional. Some of them had even claimed that the drivers may feel sleepy in aircon cabins. We had the same notion about bus drivers and the drivers' cabins were non-AC for years. But the introduction of Volvo buses ended that perception and now all luxury buses have AC cabins for drivers as well,' said a ministry official.
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