Videos, automated tests to tackle vehicle fitness fraud

NEW DELHI: The malpractice of getting fitness certificates, including PUC, home-delivered without taking vehicles to test centres for renewal of registration will soon be a thing of the past.

In a draft notification proposing major changes in motor vehicle rules, the transport ministry has proposed to make it mandatory for private vehicles to get fitness and pollution tests done at automated test stations (ATS). The ATS or the inspecting officer will also need to upload at least a 10-second geo-tagged video of the vehicle at the time of the fitness test before issuing any certificate.

The road transport ministry has proposed key chan-ges in the central motor vehicle rules through a draft notification. This gains significance in light of increasing concern over air pollution. A fitness certificate is mandatory for renewal of registration of private vehicles over 15 years old, and subsequently, every five years.

According to the draft notification, private vehicles, like commercial ones, will need to visit ATS for fitness tests. At present, there are over 160 ATS operational across the country.

To ensure that the certificates are issued after carrying out genuine tests, the draft notification says "the renewal of a certificate of fitness shall be made only after uploading at least a 10 second geo-tagged video of the vehicle at the time of fitness test, capturing the vehicle from front, rear, right side and left side ensuring clear visibility of the registration number plate, chassis number, engine number and features of the vehicle" by an authorised testing station or inspecting officer after carrying out the tests.

In a bid to avoid vehicle owners using legal provisions to apply for multiple re-tests after vehicles fail to pass, the proposed norms say that if a vehicle is not declared 'fit' within 180 days from the first date of being deemed 'unfit', it shall be categorised as 'End of Life Vehicle (ELV)' and flagged in the Vahan database as 'ELV'.

Officials said people got their timeline extended by simply submitting fees before expiry of 180 days. "That won't be possible. They need to get the fitness certificate within 180 days from the day the first test found the vehicle as unfit. Enough safeguards have been put in place to ensure any ATS doesn't give incorrect test result," said an official.