Vice President Paramananda Jha inaugurated the center amid a ceremony attended by Shinji Aoyama, chairman and CEO of Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Pvt Ltd, and other members of the company. [break]
“With the opening of the training center, our dream that we envisioned in 2000 has been materialized. Honda Company taught us the ´Power of Dreams´ and helped us give our thoughts a shape,” Roop Jyoti, vice chairman of Jyoti Group, said.
SSRTC is the first world-class motorcycle training center in the country, according to the company. It is spread across 30 ropanis of land at Gwarko, Lalitpur. Children from the age of six can join the training classes and get appropriate knowledge about safety requirements on the road.
For the first time in the country, Syakar Company has also introduced the Motorcycle Riding Training Simulator at various showrooms in the capital.
“Until a few years ago, the market of Nepal was very small for two-wheelers. But there has been a fast growth of Honda here. The institute of this kind was a requirement,” Shinji Aoyama.
Six trainers at the center have been trained by trainers from Singapore Rainbow Safety Riding Training Institute for 15 days. These trainers will conduct training for the participants, according to the company.
The 10-day beginner training for those who do not have driving license costs Rs 4,000 while six-day safety techniques training for driving license holders will cost Rs 2,000 per person. The training will be conducted everyday for two hours of which half an hour has been allocated for theoretical class.
“We are planning to operate morning and evening classes as per the requirement of the people,” said Saurabh Jyoti, director of Syakar Company, adding, “People who are planning to buy a Honda or a Hero Honda two-wheeler will be provided 50 percent discount on training fees.”
Vice Chairman Jyoti said the center was opened after realizing the corporate social responsibility. “We are hopeful that the center will help minimize road accidents and unsafe way of handling two-wheelers. But we´ll have to address the crowd which will be interested in taking these classes which is a challenge to us,” he added.
He also said though the requirement of the institute was felt in 2000 when they visited Japan and had an opportunity to have a look at the Honda Training Institute there, it took them 10 years to give it a shape.
“The continuous political barrier, difficulties in explaining people about the plan and to integrate this land, which was divided into 39 plots and belonged to about 20 people, was a great challenge,” he added.
Syakar Company has also brought into operation the second-hand shop in Balkumari as promised before. The exchange of the bikes can be done from any Syakar showrooms in the capital but only the showroom at Balkumari sells second-hand two-wheelers. The company has fixed a transparent pricing mechanism for second-hand Honda and Hero Honda two-wheelers based on models and kilometers driven.
The company plans to provide safety riding training throughout the country. It also plans to initiate traffic awareness programs in the near future.
Related story
Road safety draft gathering dust at the Ministry of Transport f...
