Vehicle pollution testing: Kerala initiates action against centres issuing 6-month certificate

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Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has started taking action against centres issuing pollution test certificates for six months for BS4 (Bharat Stage Emission Norms) and above vehicles when the validity should be one year.

Transport Commissioner MR Ajith Kumar has directed the RTOs to take action within seven days to extend to one year the validity of certificates issued during the last six months without charging any additional fee. Those with a six-month certificate should go to the testing centre that had issued it and get the validity extended to one year without paying anything extra, he said.

Kumar said vehicle owners can lodge complaints with officials of the Department of Motor Vehicles against testing centres that refuse to extend the validity. The licence of such centres will be revoked after seeking an explanation. The commissioner also said that the department is considering forwarding such complaints to the police for criminal action.

According to the central government order, the pollution test certificate for vehicles that are compliant with BS4 and higher norms would be valid for one year. But, testing centres in Kerala have been issuing the certificate for only six months.

VS Ajithkumar and KP Sabu of the association of testing centres said they have not received a clear order on whether two-wheelers and three-wheelers should be issued one-year certificates. They also said that it was confusing that some RC books do not have BS4 recorded.

The office of the Transport Minister, however, said that two-wheelers and three-wheelers that are BS4-compliant should also be issued one-year pollution test certificates and that there is no ambiguity in this regard.

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