KOCHI: Do you think carrying a hard copy of the pollution certificate for your vehicle is enough to escape from the Motor Vehicles Department from slapping a fine? Soon the hard copy of the pollution certificate will no longer be considered as a legal document. Reason: The MVD is all set to introduce online pollution certificate mandatory for vehicles from January 1. The department has decided to make the certificate mandatory after 90 per cent of pollution testing centres in the state have linked their machines to the Parivahan software.
“From January 1, the traditional method of obtaining a pollution certificate will not be valid. Nearly 90 pollution testing centres are mapped and linked to the portal. The certific at e s obtained from the onl ine platform will only be considered as a legal document. Those who have already taken the certificate in the old format can take the certificate from the online centres after its expiry,” said Rajeev Puthalath, Joint Transport Commissioner.
According to the commissioner, once the system comes into effect, the tampering of documents by testing centres will end. “Several testing centres are still using old machines which are incapable of measuring pollution level correctly. If the centres manipulate pollution data of the vehicle to help the driver, no tampering can be done once the new system comes into effect. This will help reduce pollution level in the atmosphere,” Puthalath said.
Though the MVD had linked the insurance details with the latest Parivahan portal, lack of support from pollution testing centres and government had delayed the linking process. Now the complete details of vehicles are available on the Parivahan platform.
The enforcement agency can find violations by clicking the registration number of vehicles. If there are any violations, the owner can be booked on the spot. Moreover, the MVD or police need not have to stop a vehicle to detect any violation. “The pollution certificate had played a spoilsport in implementing digital enforcement. From January 1, digital enforcement will be given more preference,” he added.
DIGITAL route
Nearly 90 pollution testing centres are mapped and linked to Parivahan portal
The certificates obtained from the online platform will only be considered as a legal document.
The enforcement agency can find violations by clicking the registration number of vehicles
If there are any violations, the owner can be booked on the spot