In a significant update shared by Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar during a session at the Legislative Council, he informed that the Administrative approvals for the establishment of Advanced Traffic Surveillance (ATS) facilities were issued on September 30, 2024, by the Transport, Roads & Buildings (TR&B) Department. The final stages of the project are currently underway.
Minister Ponnam Prabhakar also clarified that these ATS centers will be entirely operated under government control, with no involvement from private agencies. He further mentioned that the implementation of the ATS facilities would occur in phases, with 15 centers slated for the first phase and 22 for the second, subject to land availability across various districts.
In addition to the progress on ATS centers, Minister Ponnam highlighted the effectiveness of the vehicle scrappage policy currently being implemented in Telangana. There are now three operational registered vehicle scrapping facilities in the state, with incentives like liability waivers and tax concessions offered to encourage the scrapping of old vehicles.
The minister also pointed out that during the 2024–25 financial year, the government collected ₹68.11 crore as green tax on old vehicles, which increased to ₹71.14 crore in 2025–26. Simultaneously, the government is promoting environmental protection by offering a 100% tax exemption on electric vehicles.
To ensure transparency in issuing driving licenses, Minister Ponnam announced that automatic driving testing systems will soon be introduced, replacing manual interventions in the testing process.
In terms of digital reforms, Minister Ponnam stated that Telangana has now joined the Sarathi portal for driving license services and will be integrated with the Vahan portal from March 23rd. This integration is a significant step as it brings Telangana up to speed with 29 other states across India that have already adopted these platforms. The present government prioritized and completed this integration swiftly after coming into power.
The minister concluded by stating that over 50 reforms have been implemented in the transport department since taking office, modernizing various aspects of transport management in Telangana.
