RTA testing centre faces starting trouble

​Hyderabad: Telangana State Regional Transport Authority’s (RTA) plans to start first-of-its-kind Advanced Motor Vehicle Inspection and Testing Centre at Choutuppal seems to have hit a roadblock with no contractor coming forward to take up the remaining five per cent of works.

The RTA officials had planned to start the centre in May but failed to do so with no contractor coming forward even after calling the tenders twice.

The State Transport department, with the help of a Central funding of Rs 14.40 crore, proposed to start one of its kind Advanced Motor Vehicle Inspection and Testing Centre near Choutuppal in Yadadri-Bhongir district. Almost 95 per cent of works pertaining to the centre was completed and only 5 per cent works are remaining to be completed. The Centre sanctioned its last instalment of Rs 3.5 crore of the total Rs 14.40 crore in February. 

The testing centre was sanctioned during the UPA government in 2011 and the State Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy laid foundation for the project at a 10-acre land at Malkapur near Choutuppal in June 2015. Officials said the centre would help the RTA in eliminating human interference during inspection of vehicles that were brought for fitness tests. The system can test and issue certificates for about 300 vehicles per day, according to RTA officials. 

A senior official of the department said the system could detect even minor defects in a vehicle and certification would be withheld until the repair work was carried out. Computerised certificates would be issued only after thorough verification of breaks, headlights, gear box, PUC, breaks, condition of engine etc, said the official. The officials were planning to take up fitness tests of educational institutions at Chautuppal before the start of the academic year but failed to do so because of the poor response from the contractors. The low volume of works is said to be the reason behind contractors not coming forward to do the works. 

Joint Transport Commissioner C Ramesh said they had called tenders two times but there was no response from anyone. “We were hoping to start the centre as soon as possible but the balance works could not get completed because of poor response from the contractors,” said Ramesh.