Thiruvananthapuram: Vehicle fitness test goes automatic

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vehicle fitness testing in the city has been made foolproof with the Automated Vehicle Fitness Testing Station (AVFTS) in the city becoming operational from Monday. The AVFTS has been set up at Muttatara. Foolproof and tamper-proof testing and speedy disposal of vehicles are the highlights of the new facility, which is the fourth in the state.  Thiruvananthapuram Regional Transport Officer Mr. Muraleekrishnan said that the AVFTS would ensure effective checking of the fitness of vehicles as the manual testing process had many limitations.

Moreover, the average time required for complete fitness testing of a vehicle could be reduced to 10 to 15 minutes, whereas it took up to one hour in the manual process. Light Motor Vehicles (LMV) and mini-goods vehicles with front axle weight of up to 3,500 kilogram could be tested in the facility which has been set up by Keltron. A four-stage check is carried out in the facility. In the initial stage, the speedometer of the vehicle is checked. The vehicle will be allowed to run on a revolving platform. In the second bay, wheel alignment, suspensions and brakes are checked. The third stage is the headlight testing bay, which has the facility to test even the latest LED headlights. In the final bay, the under-body of the vehicles are scanned for any defects or rusting.

The results of the tests are given at the end of all four stages. “We have set preferred values in the system and hence the system can automatically detect whether a vehicle passes the fitness test or not. No alterations or corrections in the results are possible," said Keltron engineer Abhijith A. Assistant motor vehicles inspector Jayakumar V said that every day over 50 vehicles in the LMV category turned up for the fitness test. In the manual fitness testing process, it was quite difficult to conduct road tests at high speeds or carry out under-body checks. It used to be very time consuming and was an ineffective process. But with AVFTS, three vehicles could be tested simultaneously and the tests would deliver more accurate results, he said.

Mohammed Nadeem of Keltron said that compared to the other three AVFTSs in the state, this station had the latest German-made equipment. The other AVFTSs are in Kozhikode, Kannur and Parassal in Thiruvananthapuram. A new AVFTS is being set up at Monipally in Kottayam also. Private vehicles in the LMV category are required to take a fitness test after the first 15 years and thereafter every five years. LMVs carrying out transport services need to take a fitness test after the first two years and thereafter every year.