Team Blitz India
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Owing to monetary constraints, the Kerala Motor Vehicle Department has stopped issuing new driving licences and vehicle Registration Certificates (RC) last week. Media sources say the printing of licences and RC was halted on November 16 and 23 as the financial crisis affected the operations in the department.
The current crisis has left the owners of the new vehicles in the state clueless as they no longer possess the necessary documents to run on the roads except for the temporary papers provided by the sellers.
The Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) is bestowed with the contract to produce licence cards in the form of PVC cards for the new applicants and new RC for vehicles. ITI stopped its supply last month after the Motor Vehicle Department continued to delay the payment and the outstanding arrears touched Rs 8 crore.
About one lakh new vehicles reach the Kerala roads each month after purchase and the non-availability of RC, which is the basic document of a vehicle, has also affected many other processes in the state which include driving tests, permits and vehicle transfer formalities.
The inter-state journey of the new heavy vehicles have also come to a halt due to the crisis. Owners who want to produce their vehicles for the fitness test are also affected as the registration certificates that are handed over to the Road Transport Office during the fitness test are reissued in the form of new PVC cards. The cards are usually issued once the inspection procedures come to an end.
The department collects an advance fee of Rs 245 from each of the applicants for RC and licence. According to recent reports, MVD has stopped paying this amount to the company.
