About 20 lakh heavy commercial vehicles older than 15 years will undergo a mandatory automated fitness test from April 1. If they fail to clear the test twice, they will be scrapped. The vehicle scrappage policy was announced in August 2021 by PM Narendra Modi.
Besides, about 5,000 state government vehicles that are older than 15 years will directly go to the scrapping units without undergoing the test. From June next year, all commercial vehicles – including heavy and medium ones – will be required to take the fitness test.
By April 2024, there will be around 40 lakh heavy and medium commercial vehicles plying on the state’s roads. Of the 2.50 crore vehicles registered in the state, according to the socio-economic review for 2021-22, 1.1 crore vehicles are past their 15-year life. Private vehicles account for 43 percent of the total registered vehicles in Gujarat.
According to the new policy, heavy transport vehicles will be certified after they undergo the computerized, automated test and their report cards will be uploaded on the parivahan sewa website without any human intervention.
Gujarat has only four automated testing stations, one each in Surat, Mehsana, Bharuch and Amreli. Since the states have a limited number of testing stations, the Centre has asked them to leave out private vehicles from the mandatory test for all commercial vehicles, which will begin in June 2024.
According to the new policy, heavy transport vehicles will be certified after they undergo the computerized, automated test and their report cards will be uploaded on the parivahan sewa website without any human intervention.
Once the registration of an unfit vehicle is cancelled, the owner can choose to keep it or scrap it but cannot use it on the road. The state transport department has already sanctioned three vehicle scrapping facilities, two in Kheda and one in Bhavnagar. Estimated to cost around Rs 17 crore per facility, each will come up on a one-acre land.
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