Praslin set to get vehicle testing station |16 October 2023

A souvenir photograph after unveiling the commemorative plaque

●         Foundation stone laid over the weekend

Praslin has achieved another milestone with the stone laying ceremony on Saturday for a Vehicle Testing Station (VTS) on Eve Island, next to the Vijay swimming pool, and opposite the Praslin fire station.

The short ceremony was in the presence of the Minister for Transport, Antony Derjacques; the principal secretary for land transport department, Patrick Andre; government representative for Praslin, Vincent Cedras; members of the National Assembly; district administrators; staff of the land transport as well representative of Island Holding Contractor, a subsidiary of Allied Builders Company, Bhavik Metha.

It was Minister Derjacques and PS Andre who laid the foundation stone, and they were joined by the government representative for Praslin and MNAs for the unveiling of the commemorative plaque.

Discussion for the construction of the station was initiated in 2016 and in 2020 mobilisation began for the realisation of the project which is part of the ministry’s efforts to decentralise its services and bring them closer to the community.

“Since 2021, the Vehicle Testing Station on Mahé has taken a different approach and I am pleased to say that the station on Mahé has seen positive results since the implementation of the appointment system. Indeed, I have no doubt that once operational, the Vehicle Testing Station on Praslin will share the same success story.”

Minister Derjacques recounted the improvements in VTS services and went on to explain the purpose of the station on Praslin.

“First and foremost, the new Vehicle Testing Station will allow us to ensure that all vehicles on Praslin are subjected to a thorough examination and inspection to ensure that they are all roadworthy. This will help the ministry and the department to achieve our objective of making roads safer. It will also benefit the police department, particularly in cases of accidents, to receive accurate mechanical status of vehicles involved. ”

The facility will include accommodation for VTS staff travelling to the inner islands which will allow for increased frequency of vehicle testing on La Digue, a room for driving theory tests as well as provision for pre-test assessment to identify parts of vehicles that require improvement before performing the complete test.

Currently vehicle testing takes place once a week on Praslin and this is expected to increase to twice weekly and on La Digue testing which is done every two months will eventually be done once a month.

The stone laying ceremony means completion of groundworks and the start of the main stage of construction of the R12 million facility which is expected to last for 11 months.

Article: Nadia Bedier

Photos: Romano Laurence