Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 | Last Update : 09:45 PM IST

  23 lakh cars in Maharashtra await fitness certificates

23 lakh cars in Maharashtra await fitness certificates

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Aug 31, 2016, 7:09 am IST
Updated : Aug 31, 2016, 7:09 am IST

Twenty-three lakh vehicles are awaiting fitness certificates to be issued by the state authorities, according to a Maharashtra government affidavit submitted to the Bombay high court.

Trump supporter holds a cutout of his face during Trump’s and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s campaign in Marietta— AP
 Trump supporter holds a cutout of his face during Trump’s and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s campaign in Marietta— AP

Twenty-three lakh vehicles are awaiting fitness certificates to be issued by the state authorities, according to a Maharashtra government affidavit submitted to the Bombay high court. Since August 18, the state has stopped issuing fitness certificates to all types of vehicles, because regional transport offices (RTOs) do not have the necessary number of ramps to check vehicles awaiting clearance. On February 18 this year, the high court had directed the state to construct a ramp within six months and stop conducting tests on vehicles on public roads thereafter.

A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice A.A. Sayed was hearing a PIL filed by activist Shrikant Karve, seeking direction to RTOs to equip themselves to comply with the court order and conduct the mandatory test to issue fitness certificates to four-wheelers. Only last week, the HC had directed the chief secretary of the state to give an undertaking that the required length of road tracks would be provided to every RTO in the state to conduct test drives of vehicles before issuing fitness certificates, failing which the court would issue a contempt notice to him.

The state then filed an affidavit on Tuesday, which stated that of the 50 RTOs functioning in the state, 16 RTOs had their own places where they could build 250-m roads for testing vehicles, but for that the state needed 18 months’ time.