'No fine if Rs 1.5K paid within 3 mnths to renew vehicle's fitness cerificate'

KOLKATA: The state Transport department has decided that owners of vehicles with lapsed Certificate of Fitness (CF) can now renew the same by paying only Rs 1,500 within three months from February 10 and be exempted from the accumulated penalties. However, they will have to get the CF renewed within the stipulated period of time (3 months) or else face penalty as per the existing norm.

"We will give three months time. All the vehicles should get their CF within that stipulated period of time. It will start from February 10, 2022," said state Transport minister Firhad Hakim.

The initiative comes at a time when private buses are reducing on the roads due to skyrocketing maintenance cost of vehicles. As per the existing norms, if the CF of a vehicle lapses, then the vehicle owner is required to pay a fine of Rs 840 plus an additional fine of Rs 50 per day from the day of lapse of the certificate.

However, with the latest announcement of the state minister, a vehicle owner will be exempted from any sort of penalty if he or she gets the CF renewed at Rs 1500 between February 10 and April 10.

In January this year, the State Transport department had issued a notification stating commercial vehicles registered in Bengal may be produced before any RA (Registering Authorities) within the state for fitness checking. The respective RA will issue the Certificate of Fitness after observing necessary formalities as per the existent rules.

State government is also contemplating setting up automated inspection and certificate centres (I & C Centres) for fitness testing of vehicles, which will cater to vehicles registered with several RAs at one place. "We have written a letter to State Transport minister Firhad Hakim to exempt CF penalties because we are not generating revenue from sale of bus ticket," said Tapan Banerjee, general secretary of Joint Council of Bus Syndicates.