During a routine vehicle checking earlier this week, Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) officials waved down a motorcycle along the Aluva-Munnar route. The two riding on the vehicle, however, dumped the motorcycle way ahead of the officials and fled. Officials and local residents tried to track them down in vain.
On further probe, it emerged that the Aluva Sub-Regional Transport Office had issued No Objection Certificate (NOC) for transfer of ownership of the vehicle to Murshidabad in West Bengal in January 2016, proving that it was being illegally used here for more than four years. Transfer of ownership is expected to be effected within six months of the issue of NOC.
Untraced
“Such a practice poses a law and order threat as these vehicles will be literally off the records. If such vehicles are involved in an accident or used for a criminal act there will be no way to trace them.
And if they are abandoned, tracking down the owner will not be possible,” said MVD officials.
Authorities believe that many such vehicles might be in use in the migrant worker-intense regions of the district. It is also believed that vehicles issued NOC in other States for registration in Kerala could also be operated here without effecting the transfer of ownership. Transfer of ownership of a vehicle within the State does not pose such a problem as it happens simultaneously along with the issue of NOC over the pan-India Pari Vahan software of the Transport Department.
Stipulation
However, in the case of inter-State transfer of ownership, the Regional Transport Office from where the vehicle is being transferred issues NOC and the buyer will have to get it registered with the Regional Transport Office of the State to which it is transferred, which will then duly assign a new registration number.
“The fact remains that there is no mechanism to check whether the transfer of ownership is effected once the NOC is issued. Since the non-transport private vehicles need not approach the MVD either for fitness or re-registration for a period of 15 years, vehicles could be operated without effecting the transfer for years together with the only possible detection being any chance encounter with the enforcement officials,” said MVD officials.
