Kerala’s Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) is in a race against time to meet a new mandate from the Union Ministry of Transport requiring automated fitness testing for all transport vehicles starting April 1. In response, the state government has fast-tracked efforts to establish automatic vehicle fitness testing centres and has floated tenders for 19 new facilities. Although discussions around automation have been ongoing for a while, concrete steps were taken only after the Centre’s directive, pushing the state into urgent action to meet compliance standards.
Presently, the situation is less than ideal—nine existing automatic fitness centres remain non-operational, forcing officials to rely on manual testing methods to issue fitness certificates. However, the new policy insists that only certificates generated through automated systems will be deemed valid. This has raised serious concerns, especially for vehicles traveling interstate, which may face fines or even impoundment if found without proper certification. Despite this, MVD officials argue that manually issued certificates through the Parivahan portal should still be considered legally valid, sparking a debate over the directive’s practical implementation.
The Transport Minister’s office has acknowledged the urgency and reassured that steps are being taken to swiftly operationalize the required centres. However, MVD officials express concerns over the lack of detailed procedural guidelines in the Centre’s directive, which could lead to confusion and inconsistent enforcement. The state is now working under pressure to align its vehicle fitness infrastructure with the national policy to avoid disruptions to commercial transport services.
