BHUBANESWAR: In a big relief to vehicle owners and drivers, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has extended the validity of documents related to Motor Vehicles Act and Central Motor Vehicle Rules till March 31, 2021.
As per a notification issued on Sunday, fitness, permit (all types), driving licence (DL), registration or any other such documents, which have been expired since February 1 or would expire by March 31, 2021, will be treated as valid till March 31 next year.
The Ministry has advised enforcement authorities of all states, including Odisha, to treat the documents as valid for next three months. The decision was taken as part of measures for prevention of spread of Covid-19 and will help people in availing transport related services as the pandemic situation is yet to subside.
Applicants have been finding it hard to book slots for renewal of DLs and upgrading their learner’s licences (LLs). Transport and non-transport vehicles, which are standing idle, had also appraised the transport authorities seeking relaxation for validity of documents till things become normal.
The Odisha State Transport Authority (STA) on Sunday announced extension of the validity of LLs expired since March 31 this year or to expire by December 31 till March 31, 2021. It is likely to extend the dates for DLs and other documents as notified by the Centre.
Transport Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda said considering the difficulties faced by the licence holders, the validity has been extended. “We will examine the MoRTH advisory on other related documents and come out with a fresh notification on Monday,” he said.
The final driving test was cancelled from March 18 due to the pandemic and though subsequently the slot booking resumed since June 18, people who had obtained LLs could not able to apply online for final DLs due to non-availability of slots in Sarathi application.
The STA, however, clarified that due to the pandemic and requirement of social distancing norm, the slots were not opened at full capacity. “As the situation improves, the number of DL and LL slots will increase. The opportunity is now being extended to the existing applicants. Once they are covered, the RTOs will allow new applicants,” the STA added.