Trees blocking driving test track's way at Tardeo Regional Transport Office

Three trees have been holding up completion of Mumbai's first driving test track at Tardeo Regional Transport Office (RTO). These trees stand right in the middle of this straight 250-meters long test track. While rest of the portion has been concretised. With lack of a test track, the RTO has been unable to conduct fitness checks and issue certificates on time.

On the site, the concrete portion — a 250-meter-long and 6-meter wide — track has been laid. At a fag end of this track, there are three trees which fall on this track and a quadrilateral patch has been left open for it to be removed and transplanted. There is a beautiful stretch of green shade, some flower bearing ones including yellow bougainvillaea, that provides cover to this test track.

On the side of the test track, there is work underway all along with a trench being dug-up. "The test track is under construction. These trees will be transplanted," said S Pedamkar, who heads Tardeo RTO. Earlier, the RTO officials used to carry out tests of people coming to get their driving licenses on a 100-meter stretch of tracks made of paver blocks. The new track at Tardeo RTO is being built at a cost of Rs 1.37 crore by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, which has the experience of building such tracks.