The Gazetteers Department

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, and the rules made thereunder. The department is headed by the Director of Transport, Maharashtra State. For the purposes of administration of the above Acts in the State, Regional Transport Offices have been set-up in Bombay, Pune, Thana, Nagpur and Aurangabad with Sub-Regional Offices at Amravati, Kolhapur and Nasik For the enforcement of Chapter IV of the Indian Motor Vehicles Act, 1939, a State Transport Authority and Regional Transport Authorities have also been constituted by Government under Section 44 of the Act.

State Transport Authority.

The State Transport Authority co-ordinates the activities of Regional Transport 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 authorisations to drive public service vehicles and conductors' licences, take departmental action against those permit holders who contravene any condition of the permit, etc., and prescribe 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 Yeotmal district and also over the districts of Akola, Amravati, Bhandara, Buldhana, Chanda, Nagpur and Wardha. 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 Motor Vehicles Act.

Regional Transport Officer.

The jurisdiction of Regional Transport Officer, Nagpur extends over. Yeotmal district as also the other districts of Vidarbha Region. However, for administrative convenience, the work in Yeotmal, Amravati, Akola and Buldhana districts is controlled by the Assistant Regional Transport Officer with headquarters at Amravati.

The Regional Transport Officer, Nagpur, besides being the Secretary to the Regional Transport Authority is also the licensing authority and registering authority under several enactments enumerated above. He is assisted by Regional Supervisor, Motor Vehicle Inspectors and Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors along with necessary ministerial staff. The Assistant Regional Transport Officer with his office at Amravati is the licensing and registering authority for the four districts under his jurisdiction. The Assistant Regional Transport Officer, Amravati exercises certain powers delegated to him by the Regional Transport Authority, Nagpur from time to time, so far as the working of Chapter IV of the Act is concerned.

The duties of the Motor Vehicles Inspectors are to inspect transport vehicles (goods vehicles, buses and cars) and issue certificates of fitness; to inspect vehicles for registration; to conduct tests of competence of persons to drive motor vehicles; to carry out tests of persons applying for grant of conductor's licenses in stage carriages; to inspect vehicles 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 and to effect renewal) of driving licenses and conductor's licenses. The Assistant Motor Vehicles Inspectors generally do not act independently hut assist the Motor Vehicle Inspectors in the discharge of their duties.

Liaison with Police Department.

The Motor Vehicles department has liaison with the Police deparment which helps in checking motor vehicles periodically and in detecting offences under the Motor Vehicles Act. The Police department also attends to references from the Motor Vehicles department regarding verification of character of applicants for public service vehicle authorisations, conductor's licenses, taxicab 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 stand at verious places, etc.

Bombay Motor Vehicals 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-cycles 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 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 in the registration (e.g., the make of vehicles, its capacity, etc.,) and determine the rate of 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 payment of 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. 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 that 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 on such routes serving municipal and adjacent areas as may be approved by the State Government.

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