The Central Government has made up its mind to bring amendments to the Motor Vehicles Rules in order to make the State transport authorities and traffic police accept the e-version of the vehicle papers like driving license, registration certificate, insurance paper and vehicle fitness certificate. According to a Times of India report, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry is likely to issue an advisory on the matter in the next two days. Earlier, TOI reported that the State transport authorities and traffic police were not accepting digital versions of vehicle papers. It was an open mockery of the very concept of Digital India scheme.
After the Motor Vehicle Amendment, life of all the vehicle owners would become a little bit easier and simple. Their e-version of documents will gain acceptance and they will not have to carry along all the vehicle documents. Just carrying a smartphone will be enough. There are several advantages of this- for instance not losing your documents or misplacing them, they don’t get damaged, and it will also remove the burden of carrying many things while leaving the house. The e-version would also save time and energy of both the vehicle owners and the transport officers too.
Earlier, the cops were not accepting the e-versions but once the amendment is passed then they will be constitutionally and legally bound to accept it. This will also reduce corruption as well, since many who forget their documents at home are often forced to pay bribe to transport authorities and traffic police. This small amendment is going to make the lives of many people easier in the coming days.
In the proposed amendment many other reliefs have also been provided. The draft notified by the road and transport ministry also proposed that all goods carriage vehicles will be required to carry goods in a closed body of the vehicle or container. If it is necessary to carry goods in open bodies, goods will be covered by using appropriate cover like tarpaulin or any other suitable material. However, goods of indivisible nature, not capable of being carried in a closed body or being covered, may be carried without cover. This amendment has been proposed keeping in mind that the construction material carried in open and uncovered trucks cause a lot of damage to the environment.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has also issued proposal of mandatory installation of FASTags and Vehicle Tracking System in all commercial vehicles obtaining national permit. The ministry has also proposed that no fitness certification shall be required at the time of registration for new transport vehicles. Such vehicles will be deemed to be having certificate of fitness for a period of two years from the date of registration. It has also been proposed that fitness certificate of transport vehicles will be renewed for a period of two years for vehicles up to eight years old and for one year for vehicles older than eight years.
