The first-of-its-kind Advanced Motor Vehicle Inspection and Testing Centre at Dandu Malkapur near Choutuppal in Yadadri Bhongir district will be operational by this May.
With the Central government recently releasing the last instalment of ₹3.5 crore of the ₹14.40 crore sanctioned for the purpose, the State Transport Authority said the centre, once operational, would go a long way in curbing road accidents as fitness testing will be foolproof.
“The centre will help us to eliminate human interference during inspection of vehicles and reduce irregularities in the system,” Joint Transport Commissioner C. Ramesh said.
Construction of the administrative building and four ramps with the shed for testing of vehicles have been completed, he said, and now the wait is only for the required equipment, which will be supplied by the Central government. “The government has imported the equipment from Spain and Sweden. We are hoping it will be delivered here shortly,” the officer said.
Spain-based company, V-Tech, will be responsible for the upkeep of the equipment for a period of two years, after which the State government will take a call on the company that will be given the charge of maintenance.
Mr. Ramesh said the system can detect minor defects in a vehicle and certification will be withheld until the repair work is carried out. “After conducting tests on headlights, gear box, PUC, breaks, steering and condition of the engine, a computerised certificate will be issued,” he said.
The testing centre, which was sanctioned in 2011 during UPA-II government, is a collaborative effort between Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the State government. On June 10, 2015, Transport Minister P. Mahender Reddy laid the foundation stone for the centre.
“The Central government sanctioned ₹14.4 crore for the construction and procurement of equipment while the State government allotted 10 acres for setting it up,” he said.
A senior transport official said the project remained on paper for years as the State government failed to identify the land for construction and as a result, the promised funds were not released.
Currently, the transport department is manually conducting vehicle fitness tests due to which several vehicle owners are obtaining fitness certificates by bribing officials.
