Tamil Nadu-registered national-permit goods vehicles currently operating in other states should use the special facility on the "Tamil Nadu Suraksha Mitra Portal" for approval of the vehicle location tracking device - Information from Hon'ble Transport Minister Thiru A. Vijay Thamizhan Parthiban. A review meeting was held today (29.05.2026) at the Secretariat, chaired by Hon'ble Transport Minister Thiru A. Vijay Thamizhan Parthiban, on the scheme mandating fitment of vehicle location tracking devices as per AIS-140 norms of the Tamil Nadu Government, aimed at improving the safety of women and children travelling in public transport vehicles and ensuring real-time monitoring of vehicles. The meeting discussed further strengthening vehicle movement monitoring, emergency assistance, and transport enforcement operations through this scheme. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had announced that fitment of vehicle location tracking devices would be mandatory from 01.04.2026 for goods vehicles holding a National Permit. This was temporarily relaxed at the time due to the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct for elections. After the Model Code of Conduct period ended, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways made fitment of the vehicle location tracking device mandatory from 09.05.2026 for National Permit goods vehicles. As many such vehicles are currently operating in other states, lorry owners and associations represented to the Government that they faced difficulty in immediately bringing the vehicles to Tamil Nadu for inspection to fit the tracking device, and further, that vehicles were incurring penalties in other states as the National Permit authorisation fee could not be renewed. As per the directions of the Hon'ble Transport Minister of Tamil Nadu, these requests were considered, and taking into account the welfare of lorry owners, a special temporary facility has been set up for two weeks on the Tamil Nadu Suraksha Mitra Portal to grant approval for the vehicle location tracking device for National Permit goods vehicles currently operating in other states. Further, a request has also been placed with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to provide a similar relaxation on the National Permit-related VAHAN portal. The Hon'ble Transport Minister therefore stated that owners of National Permit vehicles should make use of this temporary special facility to pay the authorisation fee for their vehicles. The meeting was attended by Transport Commissioner Thiru Sethu Bhaskarapandian, IAS; Joint Transport Commissioner Thiru Pon. Senthilnathan; and other senior officials of the Department. Issued by: Director, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9