VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Lorry Owners Association (APLOA) has written to Transport Minister Pinipe Viswarup urging him to stop collecting the fitness fee of Rs 12,500 for transport vehicles of above 15 years.
APLOA general secretary YV Eswara Rao on Monday said the Ministry of Road Transport and National Highways had issued a draft notification on October 4 to increase the cost of renewal, registration, and fitness certificate of vehicles older than 15 years to encourage people to opt for the voluntary vehicle-scrapping policy.
The collection of fitness fees for transport vehicles is burdening lorry owners and the issue was taken to the notice of the minister, he said. The APLOA also urged the government to withdraw the penalty for transport vehicles or at least re-classify the category of vehicles to be covered under the penalty clause.
“The transport sector is already reeling under severe crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lorry owners are not in a position to pay their monthly loan installments of vehicles. In this scenario, collecting penalty will worsen their financial situation. Keeping this in view, the State government should stop collecting the penalty,” Eswara Rao said.