PremiumNew Delhi: Government proposes to make ₹3 crore net worth mandatory for owner and operator of automated testing stations (ATS) that is being set up to give fitness certificates for vehicles.
Ministry of road transport and highways has issued a draft notification dated 25 March to carry out certain amendments in the rules for recognition, regulation and contrail of ATS that among things has introduced 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.
As per the earlier notification, an amendment was introduced to Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 making it mandatory for transport vehicles to get fitness certificates only through a registered ATS. The latest draft notification has taken that exercise forward by introducing provisions that an owner or operator of an automated testing station should have a minimum net worth of ₹3 crore during the last financial year.
Also, there should be no conflict of interest during the course of the operations that may arise or may be perceived to influence or compromise the professional behaviour of the owner or operator of automated testing stations and the premises where the ATS is to be housed should either be owned or taken on lease or hired by the owner for a period not less than ten years.
The draft notification also provides that all ATS may accept and test the vehicles registered in any of the States or Union Territories under the jurisdiction of any registering authority and not deny the services to anyone.
Moreover, the proposed rules also provide for over 30 criteria on which a vehicle would be tested for fitness and will be declared unfit if the test fails on any of the provisions. Although a red test is permitted within 30 days, if a vehicle fails again it would need to be mandatorily scrapped.
The draft regulations are expected to be finalised after a period of 30 days after getting comments from all stakeholders.
Certain new equipment has also been added for the testing of electric vehicles as per the draft notification. A new standardized format has been added for test results. The endeavour is to facilitate owners of vehicles and promote ease of doing business, a MoRTH statement said.
