Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 27 : Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Thursday informed the state Assembly that the Himachal Pradesh government has urged the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to extend the maximum permissible age of contract carriage vehicles in the state from 12 to 15 years.
Agnihotri, who also holds the Transport portfolio, said the state government was pursuing the matter with the Centre, as the power to prescribe or revise the age limit of motor vehicles rests with the Central Government under Section 59 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Responding to concerns raised by legislators and transport operators on the sixth day of the ongoing monsoon session, he said the state could not independently alter the prescribed age limit.
As an interim relief, the Transport Department has directed its officials not to issue challans to intra-state contract carriage vehicles that are more than 12 years old but within the 15-year age limit, pending a final decision by the Centre, he said.
Agnihotri said operators could also temporarily opt for the All India Tourist Permit (AITP) scheme, under which the Centre has extended the permissible vehicle age to 15 years with effect from April 1, 2026.
Since the revised provision came into force, 1,009 operators in Himachal Pradesh have used the NIC-managed AITP portal, he said.
The state government has also requested the Centre to reduce AITP permit fees to ease the financial burden on local transport operators, Agnihotri added.
Rejecting reports circulating on social media that some states allow contract carriage vehicles to operate for up to 25 years, the Deputy Chief Minister said such claims were factually incorrect.
On vehicle fitness certification under Rule 62 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, Agnihotri said the government was expanding the network of Automated Testing Stations (ATS) to ensure greater transparency, eliminate manual intervention and improve road safety.
Three government ATS facilities have been approved at Baddi, Haroli and Nadaun.
Of the five approved private ATS facilities, two at Ranital in Kangra district and Kangu in Mandi district are operational, while work is in progress at Bilaspur, Nalagarh and Paonta Sahib.
The government has also approved five additional private ATS locations at Jassur/Damtal, Palampur, Kala Amb, Bhuntar and Banikhet.
However, given the limited number of functional ATS facilities at present, the state government is also taking up the matter with the Centre to allow manual fitness certification to continue alongside automated testing until adequate ATS coverage is established across the state.