Nagpur: Owners of vehicles bearing out-of-state registration numbers and being used in Maharashtra to avoid paying motor vehicle tax are set to come under the scanner as the Transport Department launches a special enforcement drive across the state from October 5 to 17.
The crackdown is likely to be particularly significant in Nagpur, where vehicles carrying registration numbers from Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, besides other states, are frequently seen plying on city roads. Enforcement teams will scrutinise such vehicles to determine whether they have been operating in Maharashtra beyond the permissible period without completing the mandatory re-registration and tax payment formalities.
Under the Motor Vehicles Act, a vehicle registered in another state has to be re-registered in Maharashtra and the applicable motor vehicle tax paid if it is used in the state for more than one year. Owners bringing an out-of-state vehicle into Maharashtra are also required to furnish the prescribed information to the concerned Regional Transport Office within seven days.
The Transport Department has detected instances of vehicle owners registering their vehicles in states such as Puducherry, Daman and Jharkhand, as well as neighbouring states, allegedly to take advantage of lower tax rates before using the vehicles in Maharashtra.
During the 13-day drive, enforcement squads, flying squads, border check-post teams and joint teams will conduct inspections at multiple locations. Special attention will be given to metropolitan and industrial areas, commercial and residential complexes and large parking facilities, where vehicles registered outside Maharashtra are likely to be found.
Officials will establish the period of use of the vehicles in Maharashtra through registration documents and other available evidence. Vehicles found to have violated the prescribed provisions may be detained and owners made liable for recovery of the outstanding tax along with applicable penalties.
Vehicles may be detained on the spot
Regional Transport Officer, Nagpur City, Kiran Bidkar said vehicles found to have been used in Maharashtra for more than a year without payment of the applicable tax would be detained in accordance with the rules.
“The department will recover the outstanding dues from the concerned vehicle owners,” Bidkar said, adding that details of tax and penalties recovered through the enforcement action would be compiled and submitted to senior officials on a daily basis.
Bidkar advised owners of out-of-state registered vehicles being used in Maharashtra to complete the re-registration formalities and pay the applicable tax within the prescribed period to avoid detention and other legal action.
The drive is expected to put the spotlight on the growing use of out-of-state number plates in Maharashtra and the alleged loss of revenue caused by tax avoidance.
