The Gazetteers Department

Motor Vehicles Act: The Motor Vehicles Department with headquarters at Bombay is concerned with the administration of the Indian Motor Vehicles Act, 1939, as amended by Act No. 100 of 1956 and the Bombay Motor Vehicles Rules, 1959; the Bombay Motor Vehicles Taxation Act, 1958; the Bombay Motor Vehicles Taxation Rules, 1959; the Bombay Motor Vehicles (Taxation of Passengers) Act, 1959; the Maharashtra Tax on Goods (Carried by Road) Act, 1962; and Maharashtra Tax on Goods (Carried by Road) Rules. 1962 and also the motor cars, scooters and commercial vehicles (distribution and sales) control orders and rules made thereunder. Under the first Act all motor vehicles have to be registered, all drivers have to obtain a licence which is given only on their passing a prescribed test of competence; the hours of work of drivers of public vehicles are restricted and third party insurance of all private vehicles plying in public places has to be effected. It gives power to the State Government to subject vehicles to strict mechanical test and to control the number of vehicles licensed for public hire, to specify their routes and also the freight rates. Fees are leviable for registration and issue of licenses and permits.

For the purposes of the administration of the above Acts the State is divided into five regions viz., Bombay, Thana, Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad and 3 sub-regions viz., Nasik, Kolhapur and Amravati. For the enforcement of Chapter IV of the Indian Motor Vehicles Act, 1939, a State Transport Authority and a Regional Transport Authority have also been constituted by Government by notification under Section 44 of the Act.

At the State level the Director of Transport is assisted by two Deputy Directors of Transport, one for Administration and the other for Inspection and Taxation Wing.

The jurisdiction of the Regional Transport Officer, Nagpur extends over the districts of Nagpur, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Wardha, Yeotmal, Amravati and Buldhana, besides Akola, However, for administrative convenience, the work in Amravati, Yeotmal, Akola and Buldhana districts is controlled by the Assistant Regional Transport Officer with headquarters at Amravati.

Each region is under the charge of Regional Transport Officer who is also the ex-officio member secretary of the Regional Transport Authority. The Regional Transport Officers in the regions are assisted by Assistant Regional Transport Officers.

Each sub-region is under the charge of the Assistant Regional Transport Officer who works under the administrative control of the Regional Transport Officer concerned.

The Regional Transport Officer, besides being the secretary of the Regional Transport Authority, is also the licensing authority and registering authority under the several enactments enumerated above. He is assisted by a Regional Supervisor, four Motor Vehicles Inspectors and two Assistant Motor Vehicles Inspectors.

One sub-office of this department is functioning at Akola under the charge of Motor Vehicles Inspector. He works under the control of the Assistant Regional Transport Officer, Amravati.

The duties of the Motor Vehicles Inspector are to inspect transport vehicles (goods vehicles, buses and cabs) and issue certificate of fitness; to inspect vehicles for registration; to carry out tests of competence of persons to drive motor vehicles; to carry out tests of persons applying for grant of conductor's licences in stage carriages; to inspect vehicles involved in accidents whenever their services are requisitioned by the Police, to carry out tours for the purposes of enforcement of the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and Rules and to check and report infringements to the Regional Transport Officer for further action; to collect taxes and issue learner's licences at tour centres. The Assistant Motor Vehicles Inspectors generally do not act independently but assist the Motor Vehicles Inspectors in the discharge of their duties.

Bombay Motor Vehicles Tax Act: Under the Bombay Motor Vehicles Tax Act, taxes are levied on all motor vehicles, except those designated and used solely for agricultural operations on farms and farm lands. The taxes are imposed according to the type of vehicle (e. g., motor cars and cycles, goods vehicles, passengers vehicles, etc.,) and their laden and unladen weight. The Act has removed all municipal and State tolls on motor vehicles. The Rules under this Act lay down that when a vehicle is to be registered within the State the registering authority (i.e., the Regional transport Officer or the Assistant Regional Transport Officer) shall verify the particulars furnished in the application for registration (e. g., the make of the vehicle, its capacity, etc.) and determine the rate of the tax for which the vehicle is liable. Every registered owner who wants to use or keep for use any vehicle in the State has to pay the tax determined in respect of transport Vehicles. The limits within which he intends to use the vehicles, i. e., whether only within the limits of particular municipality or cantonment or throughout the State have to be stated. A token for the payment of the tax is issued by the taxation authority and this has to be attached to and carried on the vehicle at all times when the vehicle is in use in a public place. A fresh declaration has to be made annually or every time the tax is to be paid (i.e., quarterly, half yearly or annually). The taxation authority before issuing the token in respect of the payment of the tax has to satisfy itself that every declaration is complete in all respects and the proper amount of tax has been paid. Every owner of a motor vehicle has to give an advance intimation of his intention of keeping his vehicle in non-use during any period for which he desires to be exempted from the payment of tax and declare the place of garage while in non-use.

The Bombay Motor Vehicles (Taxation of Passengers) Act, 1958, envisages levy and payment to the State Government of a tax on all passengers carried by stage carriages (including stage carriages used as contract carriages) at 10 per cent inclusive of the amount of the fares payable to the operators of the stage carriages, except where such stage carriages ply exclusively within a municipal area or exclusively on such routes serving municipal and adjacent areas as may be approved by the State Government.

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