Jalisco’s obligatory vehicle emissions testing program (verificacion vehicular) has been suspended pending a major restructuring initiative.
At a press conference this week, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro said the program will be revamped and ready to start anew in July. The new program will be administered by a decentralized agency to be known as the Agencia Integral para la Regulación de Emisiones (AIRE).
Alfaro said the new agency will ensure that greater control is placed on the issuing of hologramas (stickers), in order to reduce corruption. “Private interests, particularly some talleres (garage workshops) and businesses, have put themselves above the public interest,” Alfaro said.
The purchase of new technology to replace obsolete equipment will go out to tender internationally, Alfaro said. Talleres will not be able to make discriminatory charges for stickers - the fee for the test will be fixed at around 500 pesos.Alfaro said focus of the revamped program will not be about “selling holograms” but improving the quality of air.
About 100 owners of talleres inscribed in the old program demonstrated outside the Casa Jalisco as the press conference took place.The state government has not indicated if it will be compensated for old equipment they were obliged to purchase during the previous state administration in order to participate as an official testing station.