HYDERABAD: The state government has proposed to set up over 10 Automated Testing Stations (ATS) across Telangana, including Hyderabad. The ATS is a facility for testing the fitness of vehicles without manual intervention.
They are aimed at ensuring that vehicles on the road meet fitness standards through a transparent, technologically advanced process. Once operational, manual fitness testing at RTO offices will be discontinued, ensuring that vehicle safety checks are accurate and consistent. It also aims to eliminate human interference and corruption.
The ATSs will be established at Kondapur in Rangareddy district at a cost of Rs 6.38 crore, District Transport Commissioner Office at Medchal at Rs 6.25 crore, Nagole in Rangareddy district at Rs 6.22 crore, Gudihathnoor in Adilabad at Rs 6.14 crore, DTC office at Ibrahimpatnam in Rangareddy at Rs 6.13 crore, DTC office at Sangareddy at Rs 6.13 crore, DTC office at Khammam at Rs 6.12 crore, DTC office at Thimmapur in Karimnagar district at Rs 6.12 crore, Nalgonda at Rs 6.10 crore, DTC office at Nizamabad at Rs 6.10 crore and DTC office at Mahabubnagar at Rs 6.07 crore.
The Roads and Buildings department has invited tenders in this regard.
These stations will carry out brake tests, suspension checks, and emission tests, and will be fully automated and camera-based, with results uploaded to the VAHAN portal. Currently, Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors (AMVIs) and Motor Vehicle Inspectors (MVIs) conduct manual checks and issue fitness certificates.
However, officials are reportedly unable to carry out thorough inspections due to the higher number of vehicles arriving daily. There have also been allegations of certificates being issued without proper inspections.
Sources said that the selected agencies must develop and supply Artificial Intelligence (AI) features in visual inspection software to detect major defects in a vehicle through its appearance. The AI accuracy should be at least 60% in the first 1,000 vehicle tests, and after 5,000 tests, it should achieve 90% accuracy. Visual parameters for AI will be defined by the State Transport Authority after the successful selection of a bidder.