An Automated Inspection and Certification Centre for issuance of Fitness Certificate is coming up in Visakhapatnam

An Automated Inspection and Certification Centre (AICC), the first of its kind in Andhra Pradesh, will be opening in the city for issue of Fitness Certificates (FC). The facility, which is being built at a cost of 16.5 crore provided by the Union government at the site belonging to the A.P. Transport Department, beside the IIM-Visakhapatnam campus, in Gambheeram, on the outskirts of the city, is scheduled to be fully operational in two months.

The vehicle fitness certification comprises a brake test, an emission level check, a headlight test, wheel alignment and a decibel metre to measure engine noise. The black covering of the tracks was almost finished, and Deputy Transport Commissioner G.C. Raja Ratnam was examining the work with Motor Vehicle Inspector M. Butchi Raju. 

According to Mr. Raja Ratnam, the facility is designed to allow the vehicle that arrives for fitness testing to enter from one side and escape from the other after the test is completed. The machine would do 12 separate tests in total, removing the need for manual intervention. The MVI's activities will mostly consist of result attestation. The FC would be refused if the vehicle failed any of the requirements. The owner would have to have the issue resolved and the car retested. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the project's implementing agency, will build and operate the facility for a few years before handing it over to the government. 

At Gambheeram, seven driving tracks are being fully automated, three for two-wheelers, three for four-wheelers, and one for heavy vehicles. RFID sensors and cameras have been deployed around the driving course to record the driving abilities of those taking the driving test. The cameras would follow the rider's movements, and even minor errors, such as a vehicle brushing against the barriers or touching the median, would be captured on video, and the MVI, who is present in the room, would be able to view the test live or playback the tape afterwards. 

The automation of driving tracks has been undertaken at a cost of one crore. Following the completion of automation, all services, including driving tests and vehicle fitness certification, would be performed using a computerised system to provide complete transparency of these examinations, as per Mr. Raja Ratnam.