Transport unions have threatened to carry out a nationwide strike if the govt failed to retract increased fitness certificates fees for 15-year-old vehicles.

Baba Shinde, president of the Maharashtra State Goods and Passengers Transport Association and a member of the All India Motor Transport Congress, said the fitness fees for all kinds of vehicles were increased. "After 15 years of operations, all vehicles need to be re-registered with the respective RTOs after testing and passing. Earlier, the fees for the same used to be between INR 500 to a maximum of INR 1500. The fees for heavy transport vehicles used to stand at INR 3000. According to the govt resolution dated Feb 7, the fees have been increased, which is not acceptable," he said.

As per the GR, the fees for two-wheelers now stand at INR 1000. The fees for three-wheelers stand at INR 2500 and for light motor vehicles, it is INR 5000. The fees for medium goods and passenger vehicles stand at INR 12,000 and for heavy goods and passenger vehicles, it stands at INR 18,000.

Shinde said they wrote letters to the transport ministry and to Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari about the same. "In the metro cities, vehicles that are more than 8 years of operational age cannot operate. So many transporters sell their vehicles above 8 years to transporters located in rural areas. Now, with this new order, the transporters, who are already facing losses, would have no choice but to scrap their vehicles and buy new ones, which would be profitable for manufacturers. If the decision was not retracted, there would be a chakka jam across the country," Shinde said, adding that more than 60% of commercial vehicles presently operating in the country were 15 years of age or older.

Kultran Singh Atwal, former president and chairman of the All India Motor Transport Congress, agreed. "The govt has not brought down the price of diesel and was only increasing the toll tax and insurance costs of vehicles. This new decision would be fatal for our industry. We were going to hold an emergency meeting soon and would come to a decision on our course of action," Atwal told TOI from Delhi.