Blind registration of vehicles abolished

The highly controversial decision in 2002 to do away with inspection of motor vehicles prior to their registration, which has resulted in huge losses to Government coffers, will be rescinded next month, Motor Traffic Department sources said yesterday. On a directive of Transport Minister Dallas Alahapperuma, inspections by qualified examiners will be reintroduced.

The earlier controversial decision had allowed unscrupulous importers to register old vehicles with bogus papers to indicate they were within the stipulated age limit and also allowed the registration of budded vehicles. Customs officials have periodically been apprehending these vehicles registered without paying the due duties, but it is often the third or the fourth owner who ends up being victimized.

Recently the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises deliberated on this problem of the Government losing billions of rupees in revenue due to not enforcing Section 3(1) of the Motor Traffic Act allegedly at the behest of second hand vehicle importers.

The relevant section stipulates: “No motor vehicle shall be registered unless that vehicle complies with all the provisions of the regulation made under this Act as to the construction, weight, dimension and equipment of motor vehicles.....”