Private Vehicle Registrations And Driving Licence Tests Cancelled In Maharashtra: Report

Maharashtra's Transport Commissioner, Avinash Dhakne, has reportedly announced that no private cars or two-wheelers will be registered in the state till May 1, 2021. The transport department has also decided to cancel learner's licence and permanent driving licence tests at all Regional Transport Offices (RTO) across the state. Having said that, the RTOs will continue to register commercial vehicle used for transport, in addition to completing pending work which can be done online. As for vehicles that are required for medical and other emergencies during Covid-19, such as ambulances, they can be registered on a priority basis.

Also Read: Rules Changed For Obtaining Driving Licence And Registration Of Vehicles

No new four-wheeler or two-wheeler can be registered in until May 1, 2021, and tests for driving licence has been cancelled until further notice

As for those with an expired driving licence, the transport department has said that they will be valid until June 30, 2021. While no new application will be accepted for duplicate licence and renewal of licences till further notice, old applications on Saarthi software will be processed online and completed. Customers who have booked a four-wheeler or two-wheeler will have to wait for the dealers to complete the registration.

Also Read: Certain Driving Licence And Registration Related Services Can Now Be Availed Online

Speaking to ET Auto, an official said, "With the shutdown in registrations and uncertainty over whether lockdown will be lifted on May 1, it will not only hit private vehicle registrations but the automobile industry too. At least 4,200 cars and bikes will not be registered due to the shutdown during these 10 days."

With RTO's not registering private vehicles, there is bound to be a considerable drop in new vehicle registrations in April 2021

The report says that during Financial Year 2020-21, every month around 3,487 private cars and 9,374 bikes were registered in Mumbai RTOs. The same during the pre-COVID period were much higher at an average of 4,038 cars and 13,404 two-wheelers being registered in a month. The number of vehicles in Mumbai recently crossed 40 lakh, which includes 11.6 lakh private cars and nearly 24 lakh two-wheelers. With RTO's not registering private vehicles, there is bound to be a considerable drop in new vehicle registrations in April 2021. Interestingly, this time last year, RTOs were closed due to a nationwide lockdown, which led to a heavy drop in new vehicle registrations in FY2021.

Source: ET Auto