Car mystery shows govt vehicle misuse

LACK OF registration of vehicles within 30 days of purchase is a major concern, as an Innova used in the Jubilee Hills gangrape was bought in 2019 but did not have a permanent number even three years later ALTHOUGH GOVERNMENT vehicles are not to be used by relatives of the official concerned, sources in the road transport authority said that it is a common practice, as there is no clarity on what constitutes misuse

Lack of clarity on the ownership and registration status of an Innova car used in the gangrape of a 17-year-old in Hyderabad has put the spotlight on the lack of enforcement on vehicles that ply across the state with temporary registration numbers even after the deadline elapses.

The Innova car used in the May 28 crime was bought in September 2019, but not registered by the buyer.

Sources said that the vehicle was being used by a TRS leader, appointed to a statutory body of a minority community.

An official with the Telangana State Road Transport Authority (RTA), which governs the registration and enforcement of registry rules, said that thousands of unregistered vehicles ply on Telangana roads without registration for more than a year, and sometimes, even longer, as was the case in the Jubilee Hills case.

J. Pandurang Naik, the district transport officer and joint transport commissioner, said that all new vehicles are provided to buyers with a temporary registration number and it is the responsibility of the buyer to get it registered within 30 days.

Naik also said that any vehicle that plies on a temporary registration number, after 30 days, is not eligible for insurance claims.

However, a third RTA official said that those who ignore registering the vehicles are barely penalised for the delays, with a penalty of `25 applicable for every three months that registration is delayed.

Although RTA officials are supposed to keep track of such vehicles, it is common practice to leave the task up to the traffic police.

A city police official said that a penalty of `1,000 or `2,000 — depending on the number of times the offence has been recorded — is usually levied on vehicle owners.

Officials said that although vehicles meant for government use are not to be misused by family members, it is commonplace.

However, what constitutes misuse has not been elaborated upon, a fourth official said. The official said that since there are no fines for such ‘misuse’, the practice continues.