Cuttack: The Odisha Transport Department has decided to take stringent action against commercial vehicles repeatedly operating without a valid Fitness Certificate (FC). Instead of limiting enforcement to issuing e-challans, authorities have now been directed to seize such vehicles, suspend or cancel their Registration Certificates (RC), and initiate proceedings for cancellation of permits.

The directive has been issued by the Transport Commissioner to all Regional Transport Officers (RTOs), Additional RTOs and Deputy Transport Commissioners following an analysis of data from the state's e-detection portal.

The analysis, covering the period from April 1 to June 30, revealed widespread violations. During the three-month period, 43,696 e-challans were issued against 11,401 commercial vehicles operating without valid fitness certificates. Of these, 6,635 vehicles were caught more than once, 2,191 vehicles were detected five or more times, 960 vehicles were caught over 10 times, 359 vehicles were caught more than 20 times, and 37 vehicles were found violating the rule over 50 times. The figures indicate that many vehicle owners continued operating despite repeated penalties without renewing their fitness certificates.

The highest number of violations was recorded at Bandal (Old Manguli) Toll Plaza with 5,281 cases, followed by Pipili Toll Plaza with 4,816 cases and Seragarh Toll Plaza with 3,769 cases. Other major locations included Gudipada-Gangapada (2,807), Sambalpur-Bargarh (2,338), Bhagabada-Narayanpur (2,141), Kandra (1,629), Gurapali (1,579), Karapada (1,523) and Darjing Toll Plaza (1,502).

Under the new enforcement plan, vehicles caught violating fitness certificate norms 10 or more times will face action within seven days. Cases involving five to nine violations will be disposed of within 15 days, while those detected two to four times will be acted upon within 30 days.

During inspections, officials will verify fitness certificates, permits, insurance and tax documents. Vehicles found without a valid Fitness Certificate will be seized under Section 207 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The department has also warned that habitual offenders may face suspension or cancellation of their RCs and cancellation of vehicle permits. All RTOs have been instructed to submit progress reports on enforcement every fortnight.

Transport Commissioner Issues Strict SOP for RTO Services

In a separate move, the Odisha Transport Commissioner has introduced a strict Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for vehicle registration, ownership transfer, hypothecation termination, address changes and driving licence-related services to prevent irregularities in document verification.

Under the new SOP, no application can be approved without verifying the applicant's identity, residential address, place of business and the jurisdiction of the concerned RTO. Officials violating the prescribed procedures will face disciplinary action.

The Transport Commissioner said several recent cases revealed that applications had been approved solely on the basis of documents uploaded online without proper verification of the applicant's identity or address. Such lapses have created difficulties in serving legal notices, collecting taxes, enforcing laws, conducting accident investigations and fixing liability.

The SOP makes it mandatory for RTOs to verify whether an applicant actually resides or conducts business within their jurisdiction before approving vehicle registration. In the case of transport vehicles, officials must also verify insurance, address proof, tax payment records, fitness certificates and permits before granting approval.

For ownership transfers, officials must cross-check the details provided in Forms 29 and 30 with the identities and addresses of both the buyer and seller. If an applicant from another state applies using an Odisha address, the address must be physically verified before approving the transfer. Applications using another person's Aadhaar or identity document as address proof will not be accepted.

For hypothecation cancellation, Form 35 must carry the signatures of both the vehicle owner and financier or a valid No Objection Certificate (NOC). Where Aadhaar-based authentication is unavailable, physical verification of original documents will be mandatory. Incomplete, altered, unclear or incorrect documents will be rejected.

The SOP also mandates strict verification of address and residence proof for all driving licence-related services. Address changes based on another person's proof will not be permitted. Officials must additionally verify pending taxes, fitness certificates, permits and insurance status in every transport vehicle-related transaction.

The Commissioner has clarified that every approval made on the VAHAN and SARATHI portals will be treated as an official certification by the concerned officer. Mechanical approvals without proper verification will be treated as serious misconduct. Any incorrect approval, false address verification, returned notices, or legal disputes arising later will make the dealing assistant, verifying officer and approving officer personally accountable, with disciplinary and legal action to follow.