Minister Sriramulu inaugurates I&C Centre in Dharwad

Bengaluru: The Transport department of Karnataka kicked off the New Year with the inauguration of I&C Centre in Dharwad West RTO in Rayapur Industrial Development area. Minister of Transport and Tribal Welfare B Sriramulu, MLA Arvind Bellad, NWKRTC Chairman VS Patil and KSRTC MD Shivayogi Kalasad inaugurated the Centre on Tuesday.

In the wake of increasing pollution, the State government decided to align with the I&C Centre and regulate the existing vehicle population as well as the new ones. The center bridges the gap between visual inspection and finalising complete road worthiness of the vehicle.

The advanced and automated centre inspect the vehicles providing them with the certification as per road and safety vehicle measures. Most importantly, smart-card based vehicle registration and certificate issuing organisation Rosmerta Technology, headquartered in Delhi, won the tender to supply equipment and resources for the newly inaugurated I&C Centre.

With implementation of the Inspection and Certification (I&C) regime across the country will support the road safety policy of the Government, reduce accidents, promote safer vehicles, and clean environment. The greatest potential benefit of road worthiness testing is that it will prevent personal injuries due to accidents. Vehicles that are regularly and adequately maintained and verified to be in optimal working condition last longer. Inspections will reduce the costs of repairs and replacement, maximizing your vehicles' value and extending their life. Not only this, the other significant benefit of preventative maintenance is preventing small problems to grow into bigger (and costlier) ones. Vehicles might get damaged to a point beyond repair. Giving attention to vehicles will also help decrease their downtime.

Commenting on the inauguration of I&C Centre and addressing the gathering, Sriramulu said, "The Transport department is mulling replacing the old buses with new CNC and electric – powered ones in the State. He further added that the Union government suggested replacing the old buses with CNG and electric-powered buses in the State and hence these buses will start appearing on the roads soon."

He also announced that automated driving test track would be established in all the districts. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has allocated Rs 2,500 crore towards the salary of the staff of the transport cooperation. The government is reinstating the employees who were sacked for participating in the strike just before the second wave of the Covid-19.

The newly inaugurated I&C Centre will also minimize harmful exhaust emissions and protect the environment i.e. high air quality, Enhanced resale value for fit vehicle and improve fuel efficiency and saving of money is ensured through periodic inspection at the centre. This I&C Centre will also increase employment opportunities in vehicle inspection.