The land near Willingdon Club, if allotted, could be used to conduct fitness tests for vehicles registered at Andheri, Tardeo and Wadala RTOs. | Photo Credit: Vivek Bendre more-in Mumbai: The Planning Committee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has approved the Transport Department’s proposal to build a vehicle fitness track on a 25-acre plot near the Willingdon Sports Club in Mahalaxmi. A senior BMC official said, “The Planning Committee has approved the Transport Department’s recommendation. The proposal will be taken up by the BMC at a meeting of corporators to be convened by the Mayor in a few days. Once passed by the BMC, the proposal will be sent to the State government for final approval.” Making roads safe In August 2016, the Bombay High Court had ruled that all Regional Transport Offices (RTO) in the State had to identify 250-metre tracks to conduct fitness tests for vehicles by October 20, 2016. The directive was issued after Shrikant Karve, a Pune-based activist, in a PIL demanded fitness tests of vehicles on a special track and not on the road to reduce accidents in the State. Since July 2016, the RTO has written at least three letters to the BMC to allot a 25-acre plot of land for laying a vehicle test track. A Transport Department official said, “Former Transport Commisioner Shyam Vardhane worte to the BMC in July 2016 asking for allotment of land to build the vehicle test track. Since then, his successor, Dr. Praveen Gedam, has written at least two letters as reminders.” Dr. Gedam said, “The demand was made considering the High Court’s order and to ensure road safety.” The official said, “There is a government land near Willingdon Sports Club, which is used by about 100 VIPs to host parties and social functions.” He added, “We have demanded that the BMC reserve this plot to build the vehicle fitness tracks. It would be a tough task as VIPs might oppose the proposal.” The official said, if allotted, the land could be used to conduct fitness tests for vehicles registered at Andheri, Tardeo and Wadala RTOs. “The court had ordered RTOs to seize unfit vehicles. But where is the space to keep the seized vehicles? We are planning to build at least 10 tracks.” August deadline Every year, road accidents in the State claim nearly 13,000 lives and leave about 1 lakh people maimed. An annual fitness is mandatory for vehicles such as trucks, buses and auto rickshaws, but newly registered vehicles are exempted for two years. There are 30 lakh vehicles in Mumbai and nearly 2 lakh new vehicles are registered every year. There are nearly 2 crore 75 lakh vehicles in the State for which the Transport Department has to issue fitness certificates every year. The tests are now conducted on public roads and the High Court order has called for one fitness track per district by August 2017.

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