Govt Mulls Change In Eligibility Rules For Checking Fitness Of Vehicles

The notification will remain in public domain for 30 days for comments and suggestions from all stakeholders

Govt Proposes Change In Rules For Checking Fitness Of Vehicles (File Image)

New Delhi: The government on Sunday proposed change in certain rules in the eligibility criteria for setting up an automated testing station for checking the fitness of vehicles, enable vehicle testing outside the state of registration and the norm to declare a vehicle as end-of-life vehicle.  

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), a draft notification, dated March 25, 2022, has been issued to bring about amendments in the rules for Recognition, Regulation And Control of Automated Testing Stations (ATS), which were earlier published on September 23 2021.

According to the statement, “These draft rules propose amendments in the following aspects -- eligibility criteria for establishing these stations, automatic transmission of test results from equipment to the server, enabling vehicles registered in one state to be tested in another state, and the criteria to declare a vehicle as end-of-life vehicle.”

The statement further said that certain new equipment has been added for the testing of electric vehicles.

The notification will remain in public domain for 30 days for comments and suggestions from all stakeholders, it further said.

The government also plans to make fitness testing through ATS mandatory in a phased manner starting from April next year and in the case of medium goods vehicles, medium passenger motor vehicles and light motor vehicles (transport), the requirement will be made compulsory from June 1, 2024.

Notably, last year, the ministry had said that entities like special purpose vehicles, state governments, companies, associations and body of individuals may be allowed to open ATS for testing the fitness of both personal and transport vehicles.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy in August last year and said it will help phase out unfit and polluting vehicles and promote a circular economy. The vehicle scrappage policy will come into effect from April 1, 2022.