NEW DELHI: The government may have to extend its deadline for mandatory fitness test of all heavy commercial vehicles due to inadequate number of ‘automated testing stations’ (ATS). At present, there are less than 20 such centres across the country.
In its notification earlier this year, the government had set April 2023 as the deadline for implementation of this norm.
The provision of ATS is crucial for the implementation of the government’s policy of scrapping vehicles aged more than 15 years as it is directly linked to the phasing out of vehicles that fail the fitness test.
While the current fitness test regime is manual and results can be manipulated, there is no such scope when the new rule of mandatory test at ATS becomes effective.
As per the notification issued by the road transport ministry on April 5, 2022, the provision of mandatory test at ATS for all personal and other medium and small commercial vehicles is June 2024.
Currently, the vehicle owners can get the test done either at any automated or manual testing centre. “The rules can be implemented only when there are enough such centres across the country. We can’t expect people to comply, if they don’t have an ATS in the district or in a couple of districts. However, the government still has 4-5 months and can pursue states to accelerate setting up such centres,” said a government source.
According to the government notification, renewal of fitness certificates for all commercial vehicles is mandatory every two years for the ones that are up to eight years old and once they are over eight years, such a test becomes mandatory every year. In the case of personal vehicles, the fitness test is conducted at the time of renewal of registration after 15 years. Subsequently, this becomes mandatory every five years.
In its notification earlier this year, the government had set April 2023 as the deadline for implementation of this norm.
The provision of ATS is crucial for the implementation of the government’s policy of scrapping vehicles aged more than 15 years as it is directly linked to the phasing out of vehicles that fail the fitness test.
While the current fitness test regime is manual and results can be manipulated, there is no such scope when the new rule of mandatory test at ATS becomes effective.
As per the notification issued by the road transport ministry on April 5, 2022, the provision of mandatory test at ATS for all personal and other medium and small commercial vehicles is June 2024.
Currently, the vehicle owners can get the test done either at any automated or manual testing centre. “The rules can be implemented only when there are enough such centres across the country. We can’t expect people to comply, if they don’t have an ATS in the district or in a couple of districts. However, the government still has 4-5 months and can pursue states to accelerate setting up such centres,” said a government source.
According to the government notification, renewal of fitness certificates for all commercial vehicles is mandatory every two years for the ones that are up to eight years old and once they are over eight years, such a test becomes mandatory every year. In the case of personal vehicles, the fitness test is conducted at the time of renewal of registration after 15 years. Subsequently, this becomes mandatory every five years.
