Owners need not to visit office, inspection exempted: RTO
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Apr 22: The offices of Regional Transport Officers in Jammu and Srinagar and ARTOs located at various other district headquarters are all set to witness lively activity and pull crowed amidst lockdown as the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has given exemption to the Transport authorities in J&K and elsewhere to complete the process of registration of BS-IV emission norms compliant vehicles by April 30 as last chance.
Official sources told the Excelsior that following directives from the MoRH, the Transport Commissioner J&K UT in a special meeting held here on Tuesday issued directions to the RTOs Srinagar/ Jammu/ Lakhanpur and ARTOs of various other districts to immediately start the registration work of the vehicles of this category purchased by the people before March 31, 2020 and complete this process by April 30. It was conveyed that Apex Court in view of COVID-19 impact, directed authorities to complete the process within 10 days as one time last relief to the public. The Regional Transport offices may buzz with activity from tomorrow onwards with this decision of the Government. It may also pull crowd of the people in the Transport offices.
Sources revealed that Supreme Court in its order dated March 27, had fixed March 31 as deadline for winding up sale and registration of BS- IV emission norm compliant vehicles. The bench comprising Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Deepak Gupta allowed sale of 10 % of the unsold stock of BS- IV vehicles within 10 days of the end of the lockdown, except in Delhi and the National Capital Region.
The bench also held that BS- IV vehicles bought have to be registered within 10 days of sale but those bought before March 31 can be registered later. The Apex Court passed the order while hearing the plea filed by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations which had sought a two-month extension of the March 31 deadline for sale and registration of such vehicles.
The Federation had filed an interlocutory application with the Apex Court last week seeking relief in view of Corona virus pandemic. It had also projected that vehicles worth over Rs 7000 crore had remained unsold, causing extensive loss to the auto industry.
The Apex Court had mandated that only BS-VI emission norms-compliant vehicles will be allowed for sale and registration from April Ist, 2020 onwards. The bench in its fresh order has strictly directed all to obey lockdown directive and avoid visiting offices.
Regional Transport Officer Jammu, Dhananter Singh when contacted said that 50 % of staff of his office has started coming from Monday on rotation basis. The people may start moving to the RTO/ ARTO offices after coming to know about the order. But there is no need to visit office. He said compulsory physical verification of the vehicles has been exempted till the lockdown period is over. It will be done later and the RC will also be issued thereafter.
The RTO, Jammu further revealed that registration of nearly 2000 vehicles of BS-IV norms vehicles is pending in his office. These are the vehicles which were purchased by the people before March 31, 2020. The respective auto-companies have submitted papers and fee of the vehicles on line. The office staff will do online registration work and intimate the owners through mobile phone or mail about the registration number and they may get the number plates fixed from the agency. No owner is needed to visit the offices for this purpose, the RTO said.
He added that this is the last chance being given by the Union Ministry with the intervention of court to register BS-IV vehicles. Otherwise, the orders about registration of BS-VI vehicles already stood issued, he added.
Meanwhile, the sources indicated that Transport Commissioner has urged the MoRTH to exempt private vehicles from obtaining fitness certificate for the time being as it will be problem in case any such vehicle meets with an accident or is stolen. The transporters are already worried over the issue.
Sources further said that MoRTH on April 20 had advised NIC to facilitate the States /UTs in limited registration of BS-IV vehicles all over India except Delhi/NCR in compliance with Supreme Court directions in its order dated March 27. The Apex Court has, however, maintained the stay on sale and registration of such vehicles in Delhi NCR, it added.
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