The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said on Thursday that it has issued a notification stipulating mandatory fitness testing of motor vehicles only through automated stations registered in accordance with the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989.

The new norms for heavy goods vehicles and heavy passenger motor vehicles will come into force from April 1, 2023, while for medium goods vehicles and medium passenger motor vehicles as well as light motor vehicles (transport) the deadline is June 1, 2024, onwards, according to a ministry statement.

The norms were notified on April 5, 2022. Earlier, on February 2, 2022, MoRTH made public copies of the gazette notification. The objections and suggestions from the public have been considered by the Government, it added.

On the clause related to fitness certificate of transport vehicles, the new norms require renewal every two years for vehicles up to eight years old and yearly for those older.

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The Ministry also notified mass emission standards for alternative fuels — blends of ethanol with gasoline ( E-10, E-12, E-15, E-20), flex-fuel (E 85) or (E 100), ethanol blend for diesel vehicles (ED 95), biodiesel, bio-CNG, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol M15 or M100 and methanol MD 95, dual fuel, M85 and di-methyl ether (DME or D100), hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and hydrogen CNG. 

MoRTH notified rules for homologation of vehicles to certify road worthiness, fitness of vehicle and anti-lock braking system, fitment of speed limiting devices, fire alarm and protection system in type III buses of category M3, school buses, and so on.