A M Abdussalam, Staff Reporter

A proposal that emerged during the visit of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to Kerala in 2017, will soon be a reality in Vengara, a remote village in Malappuram district, offering an international driver licence valid in the UAE, according to media reports. State cabinet on Wednesday decided to go ahead with the proposal to set up an international driving school and training centre at Vengara on 25 acres of land owned by Inkel (Infrastructure Kerala Limited), a public-private partnership company promoted by the state government. The Institute of Driving Training and Research under the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) is modelled on the one set up in Sharjah.

According to reports, those who successfully complete the driving test at this institute will be eligible for jobs in the Gulf countries on the basis of international license issued by the institute.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up the institute will be signed soon. Sharjah authorities will impart left-hand driving training to MVD officials here. The proposed centre will have left-hand driving tracks, the Gulf signal system, driving simulators, and imported left-hand steering vehicles.

During the visit of Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had taken up the matter and he agreed to the request for setting up a joint international driving centre in the state considering the number of emigrant driver workforce from Kerala in the UAE. Following this, Transport Commissioner R Sreelekha submitted a project to the state government with an estimated cost of Rs354.2 million.

Those who complete the training will be qualified for the job recruitments under Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants, National Skill Development Corporation and other foreign employers.

The Motor Vehicle Department carried out a study on the driving tests in Gulf countries, US and Australia. The coaching centre will have separate classrooms for theory and training sessions. Other facilities include track for driving test, vehicle yard with international standards, garage parking and parallel parking.

Although the collaboration would be with Sharjah authorities and Kerala at present, the state can explore the possibility of having tie-ups with other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and other countries that follow left-hand driving.

Malappuram district has the highest number of emigrants from Kerala to the Gulf.