Motor vehicle data at the push of a button
View(s):Sri Lanka’s Motor Traffic Department (MTD) will soon be introducing mobile application (mobile apps) and an online system to provide vehicle information next month.
This Online Vehicle Information System (OVIS) has been developed by the department to provide details of all registered vehicles with the department for the benefit of authorized users of this facility and vehicle owners, S.H. Harischandra, MTD Commissioer General disclosed.
Information of vehicles on 15 fields could be checked via Internet and mobile apps under this system, he said adding that when a person wants to buy second hand vehicles, he or she can search for the vehicle title record and other data including registration by logging into the department web site and at the push of a button of their mobile phones.
The OVIS and Mobile apps will be launched under the government’s 100 day programme.
While the Mobile app is free of charge, a sum of Rs.150 should be paid to obtain the online facility, he added.
Mr. Harischandra noted that persons seeking to purchase motor vehicles should personally check the authenticity of the transfer papers, vehicle book, registration and other documents. They need not have to call over at the department for this purpose after the introduction of mobile apps and the OVIS to provide the history of all registered vehicles.
He noted that that as the Commissioner of Motor Traffic he had the responsibility to warn those seeking to purchase vehicles not to be duped by unscrupulous vehicle sellers.
“We have information that these confidence tricksters with vehicle owners’ books and transfer papers, are carrying out their business in Colombo as well as in other parts of the country,” he said.
He said that some unscrupulous persons who wanted to evade taxes kept signing power of attorney papers for years. Thereby, one would not know whether documents produced were authentic until they were checked with the MTD, he added.
He revealed that the MTD has been automated with an online network at district level with the aim of simplifying the work and making it efficient.