Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Chemical & Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya has said that major initiatives have been taken in the transport sector for the benefit of citizens. Speaking in New Delhi today, he said, by increasing the Axle load of trucks by 20 to 25 per cent, their load carrying capacity has increased phenomenally. It has not only added to the income of transporters, but has also resulted in lesser pollution.The Minister said, in view of modern technology in automobiles, fitness test requirement for commercial vehicle has been changed. In place of the earlier provision of yearly tests, now they need to get it done every two years. Another major step is total exclusion of new commercial vehicles from mandatory fitness tests. He said, this has resulted in fewer visits to RTOs, saving time and money.
Shri Mandaviya said, the transporters are now free to paint their trucks in the colour of their choice, instead of the mandatory brown colour. They can now utilize this space for advertisements, etc further adding to their income. This will also bring cleanliness in trucks, he said. Further, all commercial vehicles are required to be kept completely covered to avoid pollution from dust etc.The Minister said, mandatory fixing of fastags in all new vehicles and transport vehicles has started showing saving in time – as they do not need to stop at toll plazas, and money – as they get 5% rebate. Tracking of vehicles is now easy, and the drivers do not need to carry cash for payments etc. The system is proving beneficial for toll operators, with better collection of toll and reduced pollution.