In a significant step towards strengthening vehicle fitness enforcement, an Automated Testing Station (ATS), also known as an Inspection and Certification (I&C) centre, will be inaugurated on May 15 at the Nagpur Rural Regional Transport Office (RTO). The facility will cater to both commercial and public transport vehicles, aiming to bring greater transparency and accuracy to the certification process. The centre is being established under the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) and the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Department’s (MMVD) ‘Road Safety and Vehicle Fitness Modernisation Mission’. It will feature three separate lanes equipped with advanced, state-of-the-art sensors and machinery to enable simultaneous testing of vehicles.

 

Officials said, the centre will deploy automated systems to assess vehicle fitness, minimising manual intervention and ensuring standardised testing. The project is being set up by Rosemerta Technologies in collaboration with the Maharashtra Government and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). Notably, the ATS model was first implemented in the country on a pilot basis in Nashik, paving the way for similar facilities across states. According to Kiran Bidkar, Regional Transport Officer, Nagpur City, transport vehicles are required to undergo periodic fitness certification based on their age.

 

“Transport vehicles for the first eight years require certification once in two years. After eight years, certification is mandatory every year,” he said, emphasising the importance of regular inspections for road safety and emissions compliance. Vijay Chavan, Additional RTO, Nagpur Rural, said, “The project is in the last phase of completion and will be inaugurated on May 15.” Meanwhile, officials indicated that another major ATS facility is in the pipeline at Hingna, where it is proposed to be developed on an approved 2.5-acre site. The proposal is currently under consideration and is expected to further augment testing capacity in the region once cleared.