Delhi govt has initiated the process to establish automated fitness centres at five different locations across the city. These centres will come up in different areas of the capital, including north, northwest, west, south and southeast.

The transport department has invited applications from willing operators to establish and operate the automated testing stations. The applicant may be an individual, company or association.

The move aims to improve the current situation in Delhi, as there is only one automated fitness centre located at Jhuljhuli. At Burari, manual testing for fitness is done. The introduction of these new facilities is expected to benefit both light commercial vehicles and heavy commercial vehicles. It has now been made mandatory to get fitness tests of these vehicles conducted at an automated testing station.

A senior official said that the automated fitness centres were designed to minimise the chances of manipulating the system to obtain fitness clearances. The official added that this was a significant step towards ensuring road safety, as non-fit vehicles operating on the roads were known to be major contributors to accidents. By implementing a more stringent and transparent fitness testing process, govt hopes to reduce the number of unfit vehicles on the streets. India has lately seen a surge in accidents involving unfit commercial vehicles, with nearly 40% of the 1.9 lakh road fatalities in the financial year 2022-23 attributed to such vehicles.

The official said that the concessionaire would have to show the transport department the number of tests performed, along with vehicle numbers. The operator will also have to submit a 30-second video of the vehicle getting inspected at the centre, he added.

“At each automated testing station, a motor vehicle inspector or equally qualified govt officials may be deputed by the transport department, GNCTD, who will be responsible for the supervision,” read the expression of interest (EOI) issued by the department. The ministry of road transport and highways, Govt of India, recently notified the processes for recognition, regulation, and control of automated testing stations, testing of fitness of vehicles through automated equipment, and the issuance of fitness certificates by automated testing stations.

Another official said that the selected applicant shall, during the contract period, levy, collect and appropriate the vehicle inspection fee from the citizen for rendering the specified services of conducting vehicle fitness tests as per the central motor vehicles rules. Any attempt to misinform the department or noncompliance of directions in the policy, rules, guidelines as laid out by the Govt of India and Govt of NCT of Delhi, from time to time, may be grounds for termination and cancellation of the agreement or licence, the official warned. Any single applicant can only be awarded a maximum of two automated testing station areas.