Lorry owners protest steep hike in fitness testing fees

Vijayawada: TheAndhra Pradesh Lorry Owners Association has strongly opposed the steep hike in vehicle fitness testing and certification fees being collected in the State from November 22, following a Central government notification. Association general secretary YV Eswara Rao said the revised charges have placed an unbearable financial burden on thousands of small and self-employed lorry operators. Addressing the media at the association’s state office at Benz Circle on Sunday, Eswara Rao said, fitness fee for heavy vehicles, which was earlier Rs 1,340, has now been increased to Rs 33,040 for vehicles older than 20 years. Vehicles above 13 years have also been brought under significantly higher slabs, severely impacting those who rely on ageing vehicles for local transport operations, he said.

He explained that these old vehicles are mainly used for short-distance goods movement—such as transporting freight from railway goods sheds to warehouses and from shipping yards to storage points. Though the number of vehicles above 15 years in the State is minimal, implementing the Central notification without modification would push many small lorry owners into unemployment, he said.

“Most of these vehicles are owned by elderly drivers who depend on local transport operations for their livelihood. Many have already lost work,” Eswara Rao added. Warning of severe consequences, he said the association would be compelled to halt goods transportation across railway goods sheds and shipping yards from midnight of December 9 if the fee hike continues.

He urged the government to use its authority to retain the previous fee structure, noting that hundreds of vehicles have remained idle since November 22 due to the unaffordable charges.