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 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.

Administrative Set-up.— The department is headed by the Director of Transport, Maharashtra State. At the State level the Director of Transport is assisted by the two Deputy Directors of Transport, one for Administration and the other for Inspection and Taxation Wing. For the purposes of administration of the above Acts in the State, Regional Transport Offices have been set up in Bombay, Pune, Thane, Nagpur and Aurangabad with Sub-Regional Offices at Amravati, Kolhapur and Nasik.

State Transport Authority: There is a State Transport Authority for the State and Regional Transport Authorities have been set-up for convenient regions of the State. The State Transport Authority co-ordinate the activities of the Regional Authorities. The Regional Transport Authority controls the different categories of transport vehicles in the region and deals with the issue of permits to them according to the policy laid down by the State Transport Authority and the State Government from time to time. It also performs such duties as grant of authorisation to drive public service vehicles and conductor's licences, take departmental action against those permit holders who contravene any condition of permit, etc.. and prescribed policy in certain important matters relating to vehicular transport in the region.

Regional Transport Authority.—The Regional Transport Authority for the Nagpur Region with its headquarters at Nagpur has jurisdiction over the Nagpur district and also over the districts of Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Yeotmal, Wardha, Bhandara and Chandrapur. It is vested in a body of six members, including the secretary, four officials and two non-officials being nominated by the State Government under sub-section (1) of Section 44 of the Bombay Vehicles Act.

No sub-office of this department is functioning in Bhandara district. The district comes under the jurisdiction of the Regional Transport Officer, Nagpur.

Regional Transport Officer: The Regional Transport Officer functions as the Secretary and Executive Officer of the Authority. In his capacity as Regional Transport Officer he is the licensing authority for licensing drivers and registering authority for registering vehicles. He is invested with powers of prosecuting offenders under the Motor Vehicles Act. The immediate subordinate to the Regional Transport Officer at the headquarters is the Regional Supervisor. He assists the Regional Transport Officer in executing his duties, looks after the office administration and acts for him in his absence. He supervises the work of Inspectors and Assistant Inspectors.

Other Staff: Necessary staff of Inspectors for executive work and for ministerial work is provided to the Assistant Regional Transport Officer.

There are also eight Motor Vehicles Inspectors and three Assistant Motor Vehicles Inspectors working under the Regional Transport Officer. Inspectors carry out the work of registration, inspection of motor vehicles, holding tests for drivers and conductors, checking of motor vehicles and detection of offences under the Motor Vehicles Act.

Assistant Inspectors carry out routine office work and assist Inspectors in carrying out inspection of vehicles. They look after the work of Inspectors when the latter are on tour or on special duty.

Liaison with Police Department.— This department has liaison with the Police Department which helps in checking motor vehicles periodically and in detecting offences under the Motor Vehicles Act. It also attends to references from the Motor Vehicles Department regarding verification of character of applicants for public service vehicle authorisations, conductors' licences, taxi-cab permits, etc. Besides it helps in the verification of vehicles which are off the street, recovery of arrears of taxes and in specifying particular places for bus stops, etc. The District Magistrate renders all possible help to this department in connection with imposition of restrictions on road transport, fixation of speed limits and location of motor stands at various places, etc.

Bombay Motor Vehicles Tax Act.—Under the Motor Vehicles Tax Act, taxes are levied on all motor vehicles, except those designated and used solely for agricultural operations on farms and farmlands. The taxes are imposed according to the type of vehicle (e.g., motor cars and cycles, goods vehicles, passenger vehicles, etc.) and their laden or 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 with 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 he exempted from the payment of tax and declares 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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