Sunday, 27 November 2022 | PNS | NAINITAL

The Uttarakhand High Court has ordered a stay on the order of the Transport commissioner wherein it was directed that transporters in Kashipur will have to get the fitness test of their vehicles from a private company in Rudrapur instead of Kashipur. Ordering a stay on this order, the single bench of Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra has set the case for hearing next on December 16. In its order, the HC has stated that for the convenience of the general public, the fitness test of transport vehicles and issuance of certificates should be done at the ARTO office in Kashipur.

According to the case details, Kashipur resident Pravin Kumar had filed a petition in the HC challenging the order issued by the Transport commissioner.  The petitioner had stated that the office of the State’s Transport commissioner had issued an order on November 5 this year directing that the fitness test of large and small transport vehicles of Kashipur and Jaspur will be conducted only by a private company in Rudrapur. It was stated by the petitioner that this automatic testing centre was given the contract by the Transport commissioner’s office without any tenders which is against the rules. The petitioner had stated that as the ARTO office is situated in Kashipur, the fitness certificates should also be issued from there, adding that going to Rudrapur for the task will be inconvenient and costly. Further, the vehicles would have to be taken out of their permit area for accessing the facility in Rudrapur. The petitioner also stated that after the ARTO office was opened in Kashipur in 2013, the court had ordered that for the convenience of the general public, all files pertaining to this area should be shifted to Kashipur from the Rudrapur office within one month. Despite this, the Transport commissioner’s office had issued the order in question, which should be stayed, the petitioner contended.