In order to make travel safer for female passengers and also empower auto drivers, the Road Transport Authority (RTA) is planning to make auto drivers register their vehicles on their own names. Several old three-wheelers in the city are purchased ‘informally’ by drivers, without actually transferring the ownership title to their names.
“That makes it hard for the police to trace the vehicle or a person if he commits any offence, as the registered address will not be that of the person driving the vehicle,” said a senior RTA official, unwilling to be quoted.
He further stated that getting autos registered in the names of drivers who buy them will also make rides safer for women passengers.
“As details of the auto driver are to be displayed in the three-wheeler as per the law, it will be easier for the police to trace the person if a complaint is made. If the transfer of ownership is not done, then in case an incident, it will be a problem for the police to find the accused,” explained the RTA official, further stating that many times cops knock at doors only to find that the vehicle has been sold away to someone else.
Moreover, the issue has also resulted in e-challans not being paid, as they are sent to the address registered with the RTA. “Even if a person sells the auto without transferring ownership to the buyer, the former will receive e-challans. So to avoid that and to ensure that law breakers are punished, this issue of registration has to be sorted out,” said the official.
After successfully holding talks with auto unions in the city to come clear on ownership documents and registration of three-wheelers few days ago, the Road Transport Authority is all set to conduct another meeting next week with financers of autos, who have a hand in the issue as well.
Bad intentAccording to a senior RTA official, many auto drivers operating in the city do not transfer ownership of the vehicle to their names, after purchasing them from financiers. “That happens because they don’t know how to do it or they do not want to go through the paper work again, and it is sold to them informally by financiers. But there are also cases where even after they pay their dues, these lenders do not transfer the ownership to the drivers’ names purposely to keep control,” he said.
“And if the auto drivers cannot pay their instalments on time, financiers seize their autos, and sell it to someone else. The person who is buying it should also get it transferred to his name, but that is not happening,” explained the senior official.
Same registration number!The issue of lack of ownership documents and registration also came to light last month when two autos bearing the same number were caught by a Road Transport Officer (RTO) in the city!
After the traffic police was apprised of the issue, the RTA and the cops decided to conduct the meeting with auto unions last week.
Financiers are not registered“These so called financiers are not registered with the Stamps and Registration Department. They are unorganised. You can find them waiting outside auto showrooms. On the pretext of providing loans, they charge a lot of interest from auto drivers/owners,” pointed out the official.
When contacted, Sandeep Kumar Sultania, Transport Commissioner, said that the aim of the meetings is to get autos registered in the names of present drivers for their own benefit, and that meetings have been held with the traffic police department also to discuss the issue.
