News

18 Jul 2018

Kejriwal directs opening of vehicle fitness test centres across Delhi

Accompanied by Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot and senior officials of the department including transport commissioner Varsha Joshi, the chief minister met owners of autorickshaws and other commercial vehicles and listened to their complaints.

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday made a surprise visit to the transport authority office in Burari and after receiving a barrage of complaints he directed the officers concerned to decentralising the work done there and open vehicle fitness test centres across the city by next month.

Accompanied by Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot and senior officials of the department including transport commissioner Varsha Joshi, the chief minister met owners of autorickshaws and other commercial vehicles and listened to their complaints.

"It was complained that work here gets done quickly through touts otherwise it lingers for months. The fitness test centres (for vehicles) will be opened across the city by next month. I have also sought a list of works done here and we will completely decentralise it," Kejriwal told reporters.

He instructed the officers to ensure that by August 1, as many vehicle fitness test centres are opened in the city as are required.

"If 5,000 vehicle fitness test centres are required to be opened in the city, it should be opened," the chief minister said.

Learning about the difficulty faced by autorickshaw owners in purchasing and recharging SIM cards for GPS, he directed the transport department officials to ensure that it was made widely available.

Seeing long queues at the counters of the transport authority office, Kejriwal directed the transport commissioner to make surprise visit once a week and seek feedback from at least 50 people.

"There is no need for long queues. Corrupt officers will be punished and the work done here will be decentralised," he said and directed transport department officials to give him a list including name, address and the work for which people visited the transport department office Burari in the last 10 days.

The Burari transport authority office is visited by thousands every day for permit, vehicle fitness tests and other paper works of different types of commercial vehicles including autorickshaws and taxis.