RTA keeps tab on vehicle showrooms in Mahbubnagar

Mahbubnagar: As the central government issued new Motor Vehicle Act and made it compulsory for all the showrooms selling new vehicles to install High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) to the vehicles at the place of sale, the Road Transport Authority (RTA) officials in Mahbubnagar district have started to keep a tab on all the showrooms.

Earlier, the onus of giving registration plates to the vehicle owners was with the RTA officials, however as per the new Motor Vehicle Act, now the central government has made it mandatory for the showrooms selling the new vehicles to fix the HSRP to the vehicles at the sales point and the same should be informed to the RTA officials by the showroom authorities.

The new Act had come into force from 14 October 2019, however as there was no information to either the showroom owners and to the general public on the new rules, many showroom owners were escaping and later on causing problems to vehicle owners as they were unaware of the procedure.

The State government had also issued orders to all the District Transport Commissioners (DTCs), RTOs and DTOs to take necessary steps to monitor the entire process and make sure that the automobile showrooms were complying with the rules.

As per the directions of the government, the district authorities have met all the automobile showroom owners in the district and directed them to fix high security registration plates on all the new vehicles.

However, the showroom owners were saying that it may take at least 15 to 30 days to comply the new rules and regulations to fix HSRP plates with the newly sold vehicles. But the district road transport authorities insisted that the showroom owners complete the process in just 4 days and submit a report.

"We have already met with all the showroom owners and asked them to complete all the processes to fix high security number plates to all the newly sold vehicles from their respective showrooms, or else they will have to pay a fine of 200 per cent of lifetime tax or quarterly tax as penalty.

If anyone is not abiding to the new Motor Vehicle Act all those showrooms will lose permission or will be imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh," said Durga Prameela, District Transport Commissioner, Mahbubnagar.