Delhi: Fine up to ₹10K, jail for those found plying transport vehicles sans fitness certificate

The owners and drivers plying transport vehicles without valid fitness certificate attract a fine of ₹2,000-5,000 for first offence and ₹5,000- 10,000 for second and any subsequent offence

The Delhi Transport Department has warned of action including fine up to ₹10,000 and even imprisonment to the owners and drivers of transport vehicles, including those of government departments, found plying without a valid certificate of fitness.

The move comes after the department found that many such vehicles were found plying without valid fitness certificates in violation of the the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act.

The enforcement teams have been asked to keep looking for such vehicles on the roads and soon a drive will be launched to catch the violators, said a senior officer of Delhi government's Transport Department.

"It has been observed by the Transport Department that many owners or drivers, including transport vehicles belonging to government departments, local bodies and public sector units, are plying transport vehicles without valid fitness certificate which is gross violation of The Motor Vehicles (MV) Act, 1988 and rules framed their under," said a public notice recently issued by the Transport Department.

All vehicle owners and drivers, including those using public service vehicles, goods carriage vehicles, buses and cabs of schools and colleges, need to have a valid vehicle fitness certificate.

According to section 56 of the MV Act, a transport vehicle is not deemed to be validly registered unless it carries a valid certificate of fitness issued by the Transport Department of Delhi government, said the notice.