25,000 passenger buses, vans fail fitness test

LAHORE: Around 25,000 passenger buses and vans failed to get physical fitness certificate from Vehicles Inspection and Certification System (VICS) in Kala Shah Kaku and Green Town, during the last 11 month, according to documents available with The News.

During an inspection at VICS in Kala Shah Kaku, 25,734 vehicles were checked. Around 15,371 vehicles passed and were issued physical fitness certificates on the spot while 37,378 vehicles were checked at Green Town, and 22,644 vehicles passed and were issued physical fitness certificates.

The vehicles that are not in good condition need repairing. Unfit vehicles cause accidents. The owners who do not get their vehicles checked will be penalised and the vehicles that do not have fitness certificates will not be issued route permit and their owners will not be allowed to pay token tax.

Every vehicle which is used for public transport is bound to get a fitness certificate after every six months. According to new law, a vehicle is required to obtain a fitness certificate prior to initial registration. New vehicles will be exempted from fitness test for first two years of operation on roads.

According to District Regional Transport Authority (DRTA) Secretary Ch Ghayas-ud-Din Ahmad, 4,599 vehicles were challaned and 378 vehicles were locked up during the last three months. The secretary said if vehicles failed to get fitness certificates, their owners are asked to get them retested after repair. If a vehicle fails again, it will be repaired in the presence of Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI).

Talking to The News, he said: “We cannot keep a vehicle in a lock-up for more than eight days. Our powers have been reduced after Lahore Transport Authority and Metro Bus Authority came into being. We were ignored by the Punjab government. We are only signing authority now.”