HYDERABAD: Thousands of drivers have stopped renewing the fitness certificates of their transport and commercial vehicles unable to bear the huge fines that are being imposed on them. The penalty being levied is about Rs 50 per day since the day of the expiry of the renewal certificate which is adding up to thousands of rupees, sometimes even touching the Rs 1 lakh mark.
As the drivers find it difficult to renew their vehicles’ fitness certificates, the number of transactions related to transfer of ownership and permits have come to a grinding halt at the RTA office.The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ order lays down that a fee of Rs 1,000 needs to be paid for the renewal of fitness for motorcycles, Rs 3,000 for three-wheelers, Rs 7,000 for light motor vehicles. In addition, a fine of Rs 50 per day should be imposed after the expiry of the certificate of fitness.
Auto drivers and cab operators say that this decision is hurting their interests. The new motor vehicle rule imposing a penalty of Rs 50 a day has become an unbearable burden. One city-based auto driver has been asked to pay Rs 92,100 which included the renewal fee and a fine of Rs 50 per day since the day the certificate expired.
M Dayanand, General Secretary, Telangana Auto and Motor Welfare Union said that a few States including AP, Tamil Nadu and Kerala were collecting fine from April 1 as it was the day the new rule had come into force but the Telangana government was collecting a late fee from the last two to three years.
He said the Karnataka High Court had stayed the order. “Many school buses are yet to renew their fitness certificates. During Covid-19, these buses had been confined to sheds. If they have to renew their certificates, educational institutions need to pay Rs 18,000 as a penalty per year towards the late fee,” Dayanand added.
State yet to issue new GO
As no one is coming forward for the renewal of fitness certificates, the RTA has sent a proposal to the state government revising the penalty from Rs 50 per day to Rs 10 per day but the state is yet to take a call on this. The drivers are urging the government to implement Rs 50 per day rule from April 1 and not from the date their fitness certificates had expired. Sathi Reddy of Telangana Auto Drivers’ Federation said: “We have been hit very hard by floods, Covid, rising fuel pries and so on. Now the new fines would break our backs.”
Rs 92K fine
A city-based auto driver was asked to pay Rs 92,100, which includes the renewal fee and a fine of Rs 50 per day since the day the fitness certificate expired