NEW DELHI: In a relief to public vehicle owners in the national capital, the Delhi government has announced the exemption of annual fee for the Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) for all public vehicles that carry passengers.
The decision followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Delhi Transport Department and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for the VLTD project.
Previously, vehicle owners were required to pay an annual fee of Rs 1,200 plus 18% GST, amounting to a total of Rs 1,416. The exemption will benefit approximately 1.5 lakh public vehicle owners across Delhi.
Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said that this exemption is a significant step towards easing the financial burden on public vehicle owners while ensuring the safety and security of passengers, especially of women and children. By leveraging advanced technology like the VLTD, it is committed to providing safer and more efficient public transportation in Delhi.
There are about 2,44,312 public vehicles, that is, para transit vehicles in Delhi, including auto-rickshaw, taxi, RTV etc., in which people travel. It has around 85,000 auto-rickshaws. Apart from this, there are about 1.5 lakh rural services, taxis, maxi cabs, etc.
In 2019, the Delhi government had done away with the annual fee of Rs 1,200 given by auto-rickshaws and taxi drivers to Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Limited (DIMTS) in the name of vehicle tracking. Under the Motor Vehicles Act, it is mandatory to install tracking devices in all public service vehicles.
Annual charges
Previously, vehicle owners were required to pay an annual fee of Rs 1,200 plus 18 per cent GST, amounting to a total of Rs 1,416.