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BRTA mulls fitness test at pvt workshops

Says its 2 offices cannot handle large number of vehicles

Shariful Islam
As Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) lacks adequate facilities for carrying out motor vehicles' fitness test, it is planning to assign the task to selected motor vehicle repairing workshops in private sector.
The planning is at the initial stage. The road transport authority will decide how many such workshops in the capital can be given the task, officials at the BRTA said.
BRTA's Mirpur and Ekuria offices check the fitness of vehicles registered in the capital. On an average, Mirpur office carries out fitness test for around 450 vehicles while Ekuria office in Keraniganj for 220 vehicles a day, they said.
At present, motor vehicle owners have to stand in queue before the BRTA offices for long hours spanning from morning to afternoon to get their vehicles' fitness tested. time-consuming procedure often compels the service seekers to take assistance of middlemen in exchange for money or bribe the BRTA staffs, said a number of vehicle owners preferring not to be named.
BRTA officials said once the fitness test of vehicles is outsourced to capable workshops, the plight of vehicle owners will be reduced to a great extent as they could avail the service from many places.
Meantime, the BRTA is taking initiative to make sure that the capital's motor garage and repairing workshops, most of which lack desired facilities, reach a certain standard.
As part of the process, the government in March last year amended the Motor Vehicles Rules- 1984, making registration mandatory for all motor vehicle repairingworkshops.
However, in last 10 months little progress has been made to that end except obtaining a government approval for printing the prescribed application form in Bangla for the registrationpurpose.
Md Shahidul Haque, director (engineering) of BRTA, told The Daily Star the government printing press will deliver the prescribed forms within a short time.
Then they will publish a circular, asking motor
garage and workshop owners to complete the registration process after fulfilling some conditions, he said.
After the registration is completed, BRTA may select some of the workshops having capacity to carry out the fitness test, said Mahbub-e-Rabbani, deputy director (engineering) of BRTA.
“We may issue fitness certificates to vehicles on the basis of tests carried out in these registered workshops in front of our inspectors, he added.
Asked how many months it will take to complete the registration process by the workshop owners, Shahidul Haque said they will give around four months' time to
get registered.
After that period, BRTA will take punitive action as per the law concerned against unregistered workshops, he said, adding that no garage and motor vehicle repairing workshop will be allowed to operate haphazardly on roads and footpaths in the capital.
According to the law, the criteria for getting registered includes good character of the persons employed in a workshop, their relevant technical knowledge in automobile repairing, applicant's financial solvency, adequate space to accommodate at least five vehicles of the category for which the registration is sought for,
and valid trade licence.
Besides, the applicant will have to submit TIN certificate, no objection certificate from local authorities mentioning that the locals will not have any objection to the setting up of a workshop.
Finally, the registration certificate will be issued to the applicant following the recommendation of a high-powered selection board headed by the chairman o fBRTA.
According to Bangladesh Automobile Workshop Owners' Association, there are around 20,000 automobile workshops across the country. Of them, 800 are registered with their organisation.