VISAKHAPATNAM: Even as the auto-rickshaws remain the major mode of transportation for the commuters in Vizag, more than half of them are plying without obtaining fitness certificates.
The records available with the Visakhapatnam Road Transport Authority (RTO) suggest that around 62 per ent of the autos plying on the city roads are yet to procure the mandatory certificate.
Of the 34,106 autos plying in the city limits, only 13,022 of them have fitness certificate. Whereas in Gajuwaka, there are 6,701 autos of which only 5,133 have certificate and in Anakapalle out of 20,867 autos, only 10,850 have fitness certificate.
It’s mandatory for all the auto drivers to obtain fitness certificate for their vehicle and the documents need to be renewed every year. RTO authorities say, majority of auto rickshaw owners who approach them for fitness certificate are rejected as the vehicles do have digital meters installed.
As per law, autos sans digital meters can not be issued fitness certificates, they say.
“More than half the autos in the city do not have digital meters. The verification is done by the Legal Metrology department and then the inspection of the vehicle is done by the RTO department prior to issuing of fitness certificate,” says M Venkatarama Reddy, RTO-I, Visakhapatnam.
Quoting the records, he says that 4,828 autos installed in 2015-16 fiscal year and 884 renewed digital meters were certified.
“We have certified 5,434 new and 2,957 old digital meters for renewal this fiscal year so far,” said SM Radha Krishna, district inspector of Legal Metrology Department.