Bhubaneswar: With the Centre all set to put restrictions on use of vehicles above 15 years, the State Government has asked all transport authorities to give temporary permits to such vehicles.
Department of Commerce & Transport, Joint Secretary, Kishore Chandra Das has asked the State Transport Authority (STA) and Regional Transport Authorities (RTAs) to grant temporary permits to the stage carriers above 15 years for a period not more than four months.
“As provided under clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 87 of the Act, STA and RTAs without following the procedure laid down in section 80, may grant permits to be effective for a limited period which shall not in any case exceed four monthsat a time pending decision on an application for renewal of a permit and may attach to any such permit such condition as it may think fit,” Das said in a letter to the Transport Commissioner.
As per the MV Act, a permit (other than temporary permit) shall be given for a period of five years from the date of issuance/ renewal. The State Transport Authority/ RTAs are the competent authorities for granting permits.
The State Government may not go beyond the provisions of MV Act and issue any directions in this regard. However, considering the present situation and certain power conferred to the State Government under the Act, the Department of Commerce & Transport has issued this direction, sources said.
In August last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the National Automobile Scrappage Policy, under which fitness tests have been made mandatory for heavy commercial vehicles from 1 April, 2023. Similar measures are expected to be put in place for other vehicles from June 2024.
