New Delhi: In a major push by Delhi govt to curb vehicular pollution, particularly ahead of the winter season, as many as 1 lakh commercial vehicles in Delhi will be able to undergo fitness tests at a new Automated Testing Station (ATS) in Burari.
An ATS with an annual capacity of around 72,000 vehicles was also inaugurated at Tehkhand on Sept 3. With ATS facilities now operational at Nand Nagri, Tehkhand and Burari, Delhi’s total automated vehicle testing capacity has crossed 2.5 lakh vehicles annually, transport minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said.
Inaugurating Delhi’s largest ATS facility there Saturday, Chief minister Rekha Gupta said govt is making year-round efforts to control pollution. Vehicle fitness testing is being modernised as part of this approach,” said Gupta. “The enforcement system related to valid PUC certificates would be implemented in Delhi from Oct 1, while technology-based monitoring of PUC centres would also be undertaken,” she said. The govt said the technology-based system would make fitness testing more accurate and transparent by reducing dependence on manual assessment. The Burari facility is among the largest automated vehicle testing stations in the country, according to Delhi govt. The minister said the expansion of automated testing facilities would give commercial vehicle owners access to modern fitness-testing centres closer to their homes. The Burari ATS was completed in a year, he said.
“Temporary measures taken only during winter would not be enough to address Delhi’s pollution problem. The govt has taken up pollution control as a continuous, year-round process and is working simultaneously across areas including transport, expansion of green cover, electric mobility, waste management and technology-based monitoring. Pollution does not remain confined to any one boundary, and Delhi-NCR’s air quality is affected by several areas; but it is the govt’s responsibility to take the necessary concrete steps to reduce pollution in Delhi. Delhi govt is also strengthening monitoring of Pollution Under Control (PUC) centres. The facility will use automated and technology-driven processes to assess various aspects of vehicle fitness, including braking efficiency, suspension performance, headlight condition, side-slip, emission levels and the underside of vehicles.