Pune: Fitness tests for commercial vehicles in various districts, including Pune, have stopped again due to unavailability of automated testing stations (ATS).In Feb, the fitness tests had been stopped owing to the new rule of the Centre wherein these tests can only be conducted in ATS. Pune does not have these stations. Later, the state govt had temporarily allowed the tests to resume at the Dive Ghat facility after transporters threatened a stir.“Since March 3, the testing of all vehicles has stopped again. We don’t know when the same would resume. We have contacted ministry of road transport and state transport authorities, but there was no clarity,” Baba Shinde, president of Maharashtra State Vahan Chalak Malak Mahasangh, told TOI.Each day, at the Dive Ghat facility in Pune outskirts, manual testing of 750-800 different kinds of vehicles was being conducted after which fitness certificates were given. “One can calculate how many vehicles were thus waiting for the fitness certificates for 10 days now.Over 7,500-8,000 vehicles were waiting for these certificates. With no information, the numbers would only grow,” Shinde added.Swapnil Bhosle, Pune deputy RTO, confirmed the same. “Yes, testing of vehicles has been stopped again and we have communicated the same to the transport commissioner’s office. We have asked them to allow testing to resume the old way until the facility would be upgraded. The upgradation of Dive Ghat would be expected by April. Work order for upgradation of a new facility at Alandi Road has also been given,” he told TOI.“We were hoping that approval to conduct the fitness tests in the old method would come soon and the work could be started. Those who have taken appointments and were waiting for the same would be adjusted accordingly,” Bhosle said. In an earlier conversation, Pune regional transport officer Archana Gaikwad had said the Dive Ghat facility would be upgraded to the ATS system by mid-March.“According to the information available with us, it would take atleast 2-3 months before Pune RTO would be able to adopt the ATS. Hundreds of vehicles, mainly trucks, could not move out without the fitness certificates. The RTO officials and police check them at different spots and would impose heavy fine on them. The fine for operating a commercial vehicle without a fitness certificate was Rs.10,000. If an accident occurred [without fitness certificate], there would not be any provision of an insurance claim. We have requested the RTO officials here not to fine our vehicles on road if they don’t have the certificate,” Shinde told TOI.Another transporter said things were very difficult for the truck and other goods vehicle owners. “Earlier this month, we had to hit the streets due to the faulty e-challan system and there hasn’t been proper resolution to the issue to date.”“Without providing us with the basic and required infrastructure, the authorities and the govt were troubling us time and again. Why was this ATS rule implemented without ensuring that upgraded facilities were ready everywhere? Action should be taken against the RTOs and not us. Our trucks have been standing without any business and we kept suffering losses amid such difficult times,” he said requesting anonymity.
