* Authorities accuse dealers of selling unapproved vehicles
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Sept 10: Notwithstanding a major initiative by the Government for registration of vehicles at the dealers’ end, hundreds of customers, who have recently purchased fresh cars and two-wheelers in Jammu, are not getting Registration Certificate (RC) of their vehicles.
The general public is suffering badly in the blame game between the dealers and Regional Transport Authority (RTO) Jammu, who are responsible for uploading the vehicle related data on the VAHAN portal and then issuance of Registration Certificate.
Sources told the Excelsior that Registration Certificate of more than 1200 four wheelers and around 1800 two-wheelers, purchased from different authorized dealers in Jammu, are pending since August 5, when the new system of dealer assisted registration for non-commercial vehicles in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was practically started.
Interestingly, sources added, 95 percent of the pending cases are in Jammu only whereas in Kathua, Samba, Srinagar and other districts of the Union Territory, the concerned ARTO offices are approving the files for issuance of RCs.
Pertinent to mention here that according to the new policy, implemented from August 5, 2020, the uploading of documents for registration of vehicles is done at the dealer’s end and the Registration Certificate needs to be digitally signed by RTO before giving it to the customers. As per SOP, the customer is supposed to get digitally signed RC within 72 hours.
“Permanent Registration mark as allotted shall finally be approved by the concerned Registering Authority on the basis of documents uploaded by the dealer on the VAHAN portal and the approval shall be conveyed to the dealer online within a period of 72 hours from such uploading. Upon receipt of approval from the Registering Authority, the dealer shall generate the print out of RC carrying the scanned signature of the Registration Authority,” explains the SOP for dealer assisted registration for non-commercial vehicles in J&K, issued by Transport Commissioner Pardeep Kumar.
However, a number of customers who have purchased cars or two-wheelers, are running from pillar to post as RC of their vehicles are not being approved by the RTO Jammu.
“I purchased brand new car last month from the authorized dealer who instantly uploaded all the required documents on the VAHAN portal but RC of the vehicle is not being issued till date for the no reasons,” rued a customer, who has been shuttling between the RTO office Jammu and the dealer for ascertaining the fate of Registration Certificate of his new vehicle.
A dealer, on the condition of anonymity, alleged that some Junior Assistant and a few officials at RTO office were creating hurdles in implementation of the new reforms and were pressurising them through agents for huge payouts to clear the withheld Registration Certificates of customers.
When contacted, RTO Jammu, Dhananter Singh said that RCs of only those vehicles have been withheld, which were illegally sold by the dealers.
“As per J&K Motor Vehicle Rule 274 and SRO 64, the new vehicle should have obtained type approval of that model from the Department of Transport, J&K for its registration. Some dealers have sold the vehicles which are not approved in J&K and thus we have withheld their RCs,” he explained and further informed that show cause notices have also been issued to some erring dealers, who shall be imposed Rs one lakh fine for each vehicle illegally sold by them.
Also claiming that RCs of genuine vehicles were not being withheld, the RTO said that in the month of August, Registration Certificates of around 4000 cars and two-wheelers were issued by his office.
However, on the other hand, some dealers shared with the Excelsior lists of vehicles , which are duly approved by the Transport Commissioner and sold by them in the month of August, but their RCs have not yet been issued by the RTO office.
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