Kolkata: The West Bengal Transport Department has issued a notification that all vehicle permits in the state henceforth can be obtained online without visiting the Transport Department or RTOs.
This will reduce the influence of middlemen who have created an evil nexus in the vehicle permit process.
Not just permit application, permit issue, and renewal are also being made online, with all permit-related services now available through the Vahan software.
The notification mentions that permit applications for stage carriages and auto rickshaws will only be made online.
All permit-related information will be uploaded to the Vahan portal. Till now, lakhs of money needed to be paid to middlemen for permits for buses, trucks and autorickshaws. This system will bring transparency here.
For those existing permits which are not yet digital, vehicle owners need to submit the original permit and a photocopy during the tax transaction. Within 96 hours after verifications, these data will be uploaded into the systems.
If an applicant receives an offer letter for a permit, it will be applicable for 180 days. A monthly fee will be assigned during this period.
After 180 days, it will no more applicable, and if no vehicle is on the road, a new permit has to be applied for.
