Published On : Wed, Oct 19th, 2016

Forget pathetic roads, be ready to pay safety surcharge on new vehicles from Oct 24

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Nagpur Damage RoadsNagpur: Planning to buy a new vehicle around Diwali? Get ready to shell out more than exisiting prices as the Maharashtra Government has hurled another bombshell on the buyers.

Now the state transport department has decided to impose 2 to 10 per cent additional surcharge on the road tax, in the name of road safety. The decision would be implemented from October 24.

However the department fails to deliberate on the safety concerns due to the pathetic condition of roads, which has become the major cause of road accidents in Nagpur.

The surcharge is being levied in accordance the Supreme Court guidelines to create Road Safety Fund for avoding mishaps, sensitize people and implement road safety measures.

Maharashtra transport minister, Diwakar Raote had tabled a bill in the legislative assembly to levy ten per cent surcharge over and above one time Road Tax to achieve this goal.

Following the consent given to this bill, transport minister has issued directions to all the RTOs to levy the surcharge from October 24.

Sources said this new measure would burn a deep hole into the pockets of vehicle buyers.

As per the directions issued by the transport minister, the surcharge would be 2 per cent of the one time road tax in case of two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four wheelers. In case of light commercial vehicles (LCA), the rate would be four per cent In case of medium to heavy carriers, the rate would be ten per cent.

Sources said the rate would be two per cent in case of medium and heavy vehicles, five per cent in case of hired vehicles with a seating capacity of 6 plus 1. The hired vehicle with a seating capacity of seven lus one persons would be levied the surcharge of 0.5 per cent.

Private carriers would have to pay the surcharge at the rate of five per cent.