Transporters mull stir over vehicle fitness test

City-based transporters have alleged that the transport department is not providing clarity on the pending vehicle fitness tests following the issuance of new regulations by the ministry of transport earlier this month. The transporters are mulling an agitation to draw the attention of the authorities to the issue.

As per the new regulations, the testing of vehicles, after which a fitness certificate is provided, needs to be conducted at automated test stations (ATS) that use modern automated machinery and cut down on manual intervention. The data is then directly uploaded to the Vahan portal.

These stations are not available across the Pune district, resulting in the suspension of vehicle testing since Feb 2. “Not just Pune, these automated stations are not available in many districts across the state. Transport and goods vehicles cannot operate without a fitness certificate. More than 30,000 vehicles in 10-11 districts are awaiting their fitness tests,” Baba Shinde, president of the Maharashtra State Malak Chalak Pratinidhi Mahasangh, told TOI.“We are trying to meet the state transport minister regarding the issue. We already wrote letters to Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and met the local RTO officers. However, the problem remains unsolved. If this stalemate continues, we will have to launch an agitation. We are facing huge losses as many transport vehicles have stopped plying,” Shinde added. In Pune, ATS will come up at three places — Dive Ghat, Hadapsar, and Alandi Road.

Pune regional transport officer Archana Gaikwad told TOI that the Dive Ghat facility will be ready by mid-March. “The other two facilities will take some more time,” she said. Bharat Kalaskar, the additional transport commissioner, told TOI that they have sought some time from the ministry. “There are issues related to integration that need to be sorted out before an ATS becomes operational,” he said.