Ahmedabad: Starting today, heavy transport vehicles, including trucks, dumpers, and mixers, are required to undergo automated testing for fitness certificates in Gujarat. According to the State Transport Department’s recent notification, 39 Automated Testing Stations (ATS) have been operationalized on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis. This move aims to curb corruption in fitness certificate issuance.

The fitness tests for all state transport vehicles will be conducted at these 39 ATS, discontinuing the practice at RTO offices. Presently, approximately 300 transport vehicle fitness tests are administered daily at Subhash Bridge and Vastral RTOs in Ahmedabad, with fees ranging from Rs 600 to Rs 800 depending on the vehicle class. After the new rule, three new ATS centers have been set up at Vastral Ring Road, where fitness tests will now incur a charge of Rs 800, alongside a Rs 200 fee for the fitness certificate.

The RTOs having ATS under their jurisdiction have stopped carrying out fitness tests. This mandates that tests be carried out at ATS only with the aim to enhance road safety standards and reduce accidents caused by unfit vehicles. DeshGujarat