In key amendments to its Central Motor Vehicle Rules, the government has said that the fitness renewal certificates will be valid for two years for up to eight-year-old vehicles and one year for older vehicles under certain conditions. Besides commercial light motor vehicles (LMVs), the rules are applicable to heavy and medium carriers of goods or passengers. The development is in line with the government’s plan to make fitness testing of expired vehicles mandatory in a phased manner. In an official notification, on 12 September 2023, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said the mandatory fitness tests would be carried out only at registered automated testing stations (ATS) under applicable laws. It also said that it would be mandatory for such vehicles to undergo fitness tests at the registered and operational testing station in the jurisdiction of a registering authority, once the new norms come into force.
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