Mumbai, May 15 -- Maharashtra's transport department has proposed doing away with the mandatory requirement of having attendants on heavy vehicles, goods carriers and passenger buses, saying it's an outdated concept given the technological upgrades that have come through in the last few years, according to officials. However, the state's law and judiciary department and a section of the transport department itself, along with experts, have opposed the proposal, saying it goes against the existing rules and could lead to a rise in accidents on highways, according to officials. The move, if cleared, would affect millions of people employed as cleaners and helpers in over 1.2 million heavy vehicles in the state. The transport department moved the proposal last month, citing similar moves by other states like Gujarat, and sought opinions from various state departments. The proposal stated that although most other states require an attendant in heavy vehicles, Maharashtra can amend the rules for vehicles less than 18 metres in length by making a 360-degree vision camera mandatory. However, the law and judiciary department, along with officials from the transport department and the office of the transport commissioner, have opposed the proposal, saying there needs to be a study of other potential effects of this rule change, including the loss of jobs and potential litigations. The law and judiciary department also said that amending the rules on the basis of vehicle length cannot be done, said officials from the transport department. Rule 249 of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 makes it mandatory for a driver of a heavy goods and passenger motor vehicle to be accompanied by an attendant. Maharashtra's transport department decided to move the proposal following a presentation by associations representing heavy vehicles. Bal Malkit Singh, former president of the All India Motor Transport Congress, who was involved in the discussions, said that the compulsion of having cleaners is an outdated concept that does not exist across the globe. "The rules making the cleaner mandatory are age-old and no longer required," he said. "The technology has changed-vehicles have dashboards, dash cameras, and GPS technology. Apart from this, the clutches, brakes, and wheels are so smooth that they do not give any fatigue to the driver like in the past. Road conditions have improved, and they are equipped with CCTV cameras." Singh also said that attendants are unlikely to go jobless if the proposal is cleared, as there is a 22% shortage of drivers for heavy vehicles in the country. "Vehicles have not been able to ply because of the shortage. The cleaners could be provided with driver training to enable them to take up the job of a driver," he added. However, AV Shenoy, transport expert and member of the Mumbai Mobility Forum, said that such a decision would be suicidal at a time when India's road accident rate is among the highest in the world....