The Transport Department is mulling over a multi-pronged action against people who operate own vehicles for commercial purposes.
A decision to this effect was taken by Joint Transport Commissioner K.R. Krishnamurthy and Regional Transport Officer T. Balraj (Coimbatore South) holding additional charge of Coimbatore Central.
Earlier, Coimbatore Tourist Taxi Operators/Drivers Welfare association members led by C.P. Balaji hired such vehicles (known as own board) posing as clients and brought them straight to the RTO on Tuesday.
Mr. Balaji said that some people attached their own vehicles with fleet owners. Through such practices, the State was incurring huge revenue loss as these vehicles evaded the road tax levied per seat for tourist vehicles. They also get exempted from inter-State permits and pay very less insurance premium compared to the insurance premium for commercial vehicles.
Road tax for commercial vehicles was 50 % more than own vehicles. Software professionals and corporate personnel attached their vehicles with operators for additional income. In fact, there were many websites and apps offering own use vehicles on hire and most of them employed casual drivers/college students, who were neither skilled nor experienced. In addition, whenever such vehicles met with accidents, the victims could even be denied of insurance coverage as using own vehicles for commercial purpose was illegal, Mr. Balaji pointed out.
Now, the transport officials are initiating prosecution proceedings against the owners of five such vehicles. The owners will have to appear before the court and pay the fine. Then they will have to appear before the RTO and again pay the fine to release the vehicle.
The transport authorities are at liberty to make owners of such vehicles to pay the road tax and permit charges meant for tourist vehicles and then convert those vehicles into tourist vehicles.
