Even though the Union Surface Transport Ministry warning the States on the large number of cases of fake address-proof being used for registration of vehicles at the RTOs, the Odisha Government has allowed vehicle registration to be done at the dealer points. The Ministry in a letter (No- 11036/ 36 2006/ MVL) stated to the Transport Secretaries of the States and Union Territories that due to the submission of fake addresses at time of registration it becomes impossible to trace the owner of the vehicle in case it gets involved in any unlawful activities.
The Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 prescribe submission of proof of addresses at the time of registration or transfer of ownership of vehicles. But it is responsibility of the concerned authorities to verify the genuineness of the address.
But as Odisha is the first State in the country to give registration power to the vehicle dealer points contravening the Motor Vehicle Act provisions, the Surface Ministry guidelines are being blatantly flouted. “The dealers are ill-equipped and don’t have any mechanism or expertise to check the genuineness of the address proof of the vehicle owners. This has led to concerns that the number of vehicles with fake address proof would spiral,” said All India Anti- Corruption Organisation State convenor advocate Subrat Kumar Nanda.
So, in case of accidents and in case of utilisation of the vehicle for unlawful activities it would be impossible for the already burdened police to trace these vehicles, added Nanda
Besides, the dealers keep the registration fees and tax revenue with them and send them to the RTOs on their whim and fancy. As a result the Government is not getting tax revenue on time, he said.