The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) will adopt the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode for setting up automated driver testing yards and vehicle testing stations to ensure that driving licence tests and inspection of vehicles for certificate of fitness (CF) are done in a foolproof manner.
The PPP mode has been opted as the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had fixed October 2018 as the deadline to set up automated vehicle testing stations to issue the CF, which is mandatory.
Complaints of bias
These new facilities will help avoid complaints of bias by MVD officials who conduct the tests. The Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (Kitco)has been nominated as the consultant for the project as the government wants to provide the facilities under all RTOs and sub-RTOs before the deadline, Transport Secretary K.R. Jyothilal said.
Already, the MVD’s computerised vehicle testing stations are functioning at Chevayur in Kozhikode, Elavayoor in Kannur, and Parasala and Muttathara in Thiruvananthapuram.
Trial runs will soon commence at the testing stations at Monnippally in Kottayam and Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam. The MVD is gearing up to set up more centres at Thutiyoor near Kakkanad, Tripunithura, and Taliparamba, Joint Transport Commissioner, Enforcement, Rajeev Puthalath said.
The Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) is being set up at Edappal in Malappuram using financial assistance from MoRTH.
The ₹15-crore facility will have two lanes each for heavy and light motor vehicles. The one in Ernakulam will have four lanes for testing motor vehicles.
Land acquisition
In all, there are 18 Regional Transport Officers (RTO) and 55 sub-RTOs in the State. The PPP mode is being preferred as procuring land for the centres is a major hurdle. The proposed centres will have a rest room, coffee shop, and reading room for the benefit of motorists.
The Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society, a 2,000-member worker-owned construction cooperative, has approached the MVD expressing its willingness to set up the testing centres and driver testing yards.
Test parameters
Parameters such as speed, noise level, wheel alignment, suspension, braking accuracy, and headlight of vehicles will be checked. Drivers can see the results of the tests real time. The entire process will take 15 minutes and videos can be examined.
Light motor vehicles having a gross weight of 7.5 tonnes are subjected to tests. Unfit vehicles with cosmetic changes brought for the CF test can be weeded out through mechanised testing, the Joint Transport Commissioner said.