THIRTY-THREE Land Transport Authority (LTA) staff from around the country a training on vehicle inspection, an important aspect of the body’s ongoing restructure.
The four day training was facilitated by Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Center (JEVIC) as part of cooperative collaboration between LTA and JEVIC.
The training was conducted by Shalmendra Dev, a training instructor from Vehicle Inspection New Zealand (VINZ) which is a key service development partner for New Zealand Transport Agency.
LTA Board Chairman Vijay Maharaj said the training was “very important” for staff.
“The training was part of continuous development of staff in vehicle inspection following the training last year which was attended by three of our officers and this provided another opportunity for us on this area,” Mr Maharaj said.
“It is also part of LTA’s ongoing restructure to strengthen the capabilities of staff and we are thankful to VINZ trainer from New Zealand for conducting the training for us. The training was very comprehensive and ably conducted and I am sure that it has enhanced the technical and theoretical capabilities of our staff.
“The training will not only strengthen our staff knowledge but also enforcement on this area to make our roads safer.”
The four days training included theory and vigorous practical works in Valelevu inspection lane last week based on Entry Compliance Certification of imported used vehicles.
Currently, Fiji does not have mandatory Entry Certification; however, there is a chance that as the processes and practices are developed the future may see a similar setup in the country.
For LTA, the first step was engaging Border Inspections which are conducted by JEVIC on used vehicles imported from Japan. The success of the Border Inspections has resulted in a lot of improvements in over three years.
Mr Maharaj added that 16,907 vehicles have been inspected and appropriately appraised prior to registration and operation on the road since the JEVIC system went live in 2016.
Participants were also handed with certificates after the completion of the training.
