THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tourist vehicle owners, especially those operating near the inter-state borders, are having a harrowing time as their vehicles are frequently blacklisted for unpaid service charges that the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) failed to collect in the past.
One bus owner in Malappuram has received over 100 blacklist notifications from the department, requiring him to resolve each one to continue accessing MVD services.
Adding to the frustration, the Contract Carriage Operators Association has reported that its members continue to receive these notifications despite a High Court stay issued on September 12.
The issues began after the MVD increased checks on cross-border movements between 2018 and 2022, following an audit that revealed the department had not collected service charges for special permits for interstate trips.
Notices for unpaid service charges are generated on different dates. While the government directed the MVD to collect `105 for a special permit costing `250, this directive was not followed, resulting in a loss of `8.45 crore to the exchequer. So far, the MVD has collected ` 2.45 crore through this initiative, according to information obtained via RTI.
“Taxi drivers near the border are the hardest hit, as each one has made at least 60 trips in a year. Clearing each notification is no small task, especially since members continue to receive them despite the court order,” said S Prasanthan, general secretary of the Contract Carriage Operators Association (CCOA). He added, “There is no legal basis for this service charge in the Central Motor Vehicle Act.
The MVD is unfairly placing the burden of recovery on vehicle owners without considering the legality.” The association has decided not to pay the service charge. Tourist vehicle owners are concerned that more vehicles will be blacklisted if the MVD expands its crackdown to all checkposts.
So far, notifications have been issued for trips covering Amaravila, Poovar, Vazhikadavu, Manjeswaram, and Kumily checkposts. The CCOA estimates that if the Walayar checkpost is included, there could be at least 800,000 trips liable for payment or blacklisting.
The MVD officials are also preparing to counter the claims in the court. “The omission happened during the transition period when the services were getting streamlined to Parivahan portal. We have also explored measures to offer a one-time settlement instead of issuing multiple notices on a single vehicle and to address the audit objections,” said an officer. The court has directed the Transport Commissioner to file a counter affidavit next month.