Mumbai, Apr 23 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday directed officials to expedite the completion of pending automated testing stations (ATS) for commercial vehicles, stressing the need to align with the Centre’s mandate on automated fitness checks.
As many as 53 such stations, where vehicles undergo fitness testing using automated equipment, are being set up across the state, of which work on seven has been completed.
The directives for their completion were issued at a review meeting chaired by Fadnavis at his official residence ‘Varsha’ in south Mumbai which was attended by Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, Minister of State Madhuri Misal and senior bureaucrats, an official release said.
Under a government notification issued on September 23, 2023, fitness testing of all transport vehicles through registered automated testing stations has been made mandatory from April 1, 2025, effectively replacing the existing manual inspection system, the release said.
Seven ATS centres have been completed so far, while 37 more are likely to be operational by August-end. The chief minister asked departments concerned to resolve pending issues through coordination and ensure that the remaining centres are made functional at the earliest, it said.
The delay in operationalising the facilities had led the Centre to impose phased restrictions on access to the ‘Vahan/Parivahan’ portal for some transport offices in Maharashtra, causing inconvenience to vehicle owners and transporters. The state government took up the matter with the Centre and the restrictions have been lifted, the release maintained.
Fadnavis pointed out that the ATS system will make vehicle fitness testing automated, computerised and transparent, while reducing human intervention and improving accuracy.
Maharashtra has around 4.33 crore registered vehicles, including 36.8 lakh in the transport category, of which nearly 9 lakh require annual fitness certification, according to the release.
Of the 214 automated vehicle testing stations planned nationwide, 53 are being set up in Maharashtra – nearly a quarter of the total. The project is estimated to cost Rs 1,035 crore for five years of operation and maintenance with central assistance of Rs 337.74 crore, officials said. PTI MR RSY
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