Govt sets up 7 vehicle testing fitness centres, says road ministry official

As part of its plan to set up 75 fitness centres across the country by March 2023 under the new vehicle scrappage policy, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), along with the state governments, has set up fitness centres in seven cities, sources in the road ministry said.

Vehicle Inspection and Certification Centres have been set up at Cuttack in Odisha, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, Bengaluru in Karnataka, Surat in Gujarat, Nashik in Maharashtra, Rohtak in Haryana and Jhuljhuli in Delhi, sources told Moneycontrol.

As part of the scrappage policy, announced in March, the government plans to set up fitness centres across the country, where vehicles will undergo emission, braking and safety equipment tests.

Those that fail the fitness test will be deemed as dead and those that are older than 15 years will be mandatorily de-registered. The scrap value of the old vehicle is likely to be 4-6 percent of the ex-showroom price of a new vehicle.

Some state governments have outsourced operations of the fitness centres to private operators, sources said.

The scrapping of government and government-owned vehicles which are more than 15 years old will start from April 1, 2022.

It is estimated that it will cost around Rs 18 crore to set up a scrappage centre if the land is leased. If the land is purchased, it is likely to cost around Rs 33 crore.

The vehicle scrappage policy, as part of which private, commercial and government vehicles would be required to undergo fitness tests, is aimed at reducing pollution and providing a spurt to the automobile sector.

India currently has over 5 million light motor vehicles (LMVs) which are older than 20 years, and around 3.4 million LMVs which are older than 15 years. Around 1.7 million medium and heavy commercial vehicles are older than 15 years, and are plying without a valid fitness certificate.