India Proposes Extending Inter-State Vehicle Stay to 3 Years Without Re-registration

Representational image

NEW DELHI: In a move that could bring relief to people in transferable jobs and on contractual assignments, road transport ministry has proposed to extend to three years the period for which a vehicle can be kept in another state without re-registration. The proposal - part of draft amendments to Motor Vehicles Act for "ease of living" - was presented to an informal Group of Ministers (iGoM) last week. At present, Section 47 of the law mandates that if a vehicle registered in one state remains in another for more than a year, its owner must apply for fresh registration in the new state. "The proposal aims at helping people who plan to come back to their home state after 2-3 years of completing an assignment. Re-registration of a vehicle in a new state and revoking it after returning to home state is a hassle for people," said an official. The move will complement the Bharat (BH) series registration, which allows eligible car owners to drive across all states and UTs without re-registration. Abhay Damle, a former joint secretary (transport), pointed out that it addresses only part of the problem. "The larger issue is the wide disparity in road tax across states." "The solution lies in harmonising road tax rates across states, supported by a seamless transfer process through the Vahan portal and a transparent mechanism for pro-rata transfer of road tax between states," he said. In another move, the ministry has proposed a new section in the law mandating states to appoint adjudicating authorities for compounding penalties and establish electronic means within six months. This has been proposed due to decriminalisation of several provisions, enabling adjudication of penalties by executive authorities, rather than the courts.