Build 250 m track at RTOs or face contempt action: HC to Maha

Mumbai, Aug 22 (PTI) The Bombay High Court today warnedthe Maharashtra government to follow its earlier order ofconstructing a 250-metre road track at all regional transportoffices in the state to test four-wheelers for issuance offitness certificates or face contempt action. "Follow the court order or we shall issue contempt actionagainst the Chief Secretary (of the State) or Secretary of theconcerned department," warned a bench of justices Abhay Okaand A A Sayed while hearing a public interest litigation. The court asked the government to give an assurance byAugust 29 that it would construct at least 250 metres roadtrack at all the RTOs in the state. Currently, very few RTOs have road tracks and the test isconducted on public roads, which is very unsafe for the persondriving the vehicle as well as pedestrians, the PIL, filed bysocial activist Srikant Karve, alleged. The state government filed an application stating that itwould not be possible to construct a 250-metre track at allthe RTO offices due to unavailability of land. However, the bench insisted that the 250-metre track wouldbe quite safe and fulfil the criteria laid down for the testof fitness certificate. The judges sought an assurance from the government byMonday that it would provide a 250 metre track at the RTOs. Two years ago, the high court had restrained four RTOs inthe state from issuing fitness certificates to motor vehicles,saying they were not fully equipped to conduct the mandatorytests required under the Motor Vehicles Act. Out of the total 49 RTOs in the state, RTOs in Latur,Nashik, Pune and Mumbai Central were prohibited fromconducting mandatory tests and issuing fitness certificates onthe ground that they were ill-equipped and had not compliedwith the order of the court issued on February 28, 2014. The court had then passed orders asking all 49 RTOs inMaharashtra to provide the necessary infrastructure requiredto carry out the tests. If such condition was not compliedwith, the RTOs were warned that they would be restrained fromissuing fitness certificates. Under the Motor Vehicles Act, it is mandatory for the RTOsto have road track for testing. The vehicles are made to runat a speed of 40 km per hour and asked to apply brakessuddenly. By doing this, the authorities find out at whatdistance the vehicles stop after applying brakes. It is also a mandatory rule under the Act to make theheadlight beam adjustment with a machine so that the lightdoes not fall on the face of the driver coming from theopposite side. Even this condition was not complied with bythe RTOs, the PIL alleged. PTI SVS NPZMNRYS