Mumbai: Car & Bike Registration Procedures get stricter.

MUMBAI: In the wake of terror threats posed by "car" and "motorcycle" bombs, the RTO is following stringent measures while registering new cars and two-wheelers in Mumbai.

There will be two to three levels of checks at the time of application, followed by verification of addresses by the postal department during delivery of RC books.

A senior transport department official said, "The RTO has done away with the previous system of applicants filing court affidavits as a proof of residence. We are now demanding copies of passport, voter-ID card, etc. Besides, our officials have the discretion of asking for two to three proofs of residence and unless he ascertains that the applicant is a bonafide resident of Mumbai, the car registration will not be accepted," he stated.

The rules have been made stringent to serve as a deterrent to bogus/unscrupulous applicants. The RTOs at Tardeo, Andheri and Wadala offices have stopped accepting land records as bonafide proof. "If one is not a permanent resident and has migrated from another state, he or she will have to produce leave and licence agreement, details about workplace such as company ID card, letter from organization, etc," the official said.

At the time of delivery of RC books, the postal department staff have been instructed to check whether the owner actually resides at the address mentioned and that the house belongs to him (rented/ownership). If not, the RC books are returned to the RTO, which cancels it in due course.

In the past couple of months, the RTO dispatched nearly 20,000 RC books in the western suburbs of which 1,000 were returned by the postal department and is pending for cancellation.

The RTO has also introduced stringent rules for dispatching driving licences. "If the address mentioned in the application does not exist or if the applicant is unable to furnish proof to the postal staff at the time of delivery, the licence is revoked," said an official. He stated that close to 31,000 driving licences were dispatched by speedpost in the western suburbs in the past five months of which not more than 2,000 were returned due to "non delivery".

State transport commissioner V N More said that the new licence-by-speedpost scheme has been of immense benefit to Mumbaikars and will be implemented across the state. Transport secretary Shailesh K Sharma said, "You can get the licence and RC books at your doorstep at the earliest and don't have to go after agents to get them delivered to you. It is a transparent process, which is a result of an initiative taken by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan."

The RTO has appealed to buyers of new cars not to fall prey to unscrupulous agents. "Our system is transparent and there is no need to pay some extra money/bribe to any agent to get car registrations done," said a senior RTO. To report harassment by officials or agents, one can contact the following regional transport officers-M B Jadhav (Tardeo central RTO), A N Bhalchandra (Andheri RTO) and Vikas Pandkar (Wadala RTO).


Source: Car, bike registration procedure gets stricter - Times Of India
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As far as I understand, car and motorcycle bombs have been largely planted on stolen vehicles in most of the major blasts, isn't that right?
And secondly, even if this system is valid & effective in the long run, its required that such registration procedures spread to other cities also and not Mumbai.
What if someone uses a vehicle registered in Nanded or Pune or any other town close to Mumbai? That person will evade these Mumbai RTO procedures, right?
Although yes, now other RTO's may gradually pick up the stricter procedures.

The License by speedpost effort is very much appreciated, and might help in cutting false applicants/ addresses as well as low end corruption.