Modified vehicles can’t be sold; won’t allow RC transfer: RTO

The Kerala Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) tightened their grip around the modified vehicles by taking a new step for the modified cars. The new step comes after the Kerala Police, and MVD started conducting regular checks on the roads and at college Auto Shows. With the number of modified vehicles for sale on the rise on online platforms like OLX, MVD has intensified the drive by checking such used car selling platforms.

After the MVD announced the ‘Freaken’ drive to nab the modified vehicles on road, notices were given to the owners of modified vehicles to produce their vehicles at the RTO for inspection after removing the aftermarket fittings and accessories. Such owners have now started selling their vehicles to the customers from other states, where the drive against the modified vehicles has not started as intensely. Putting aftermarket parts and modifying the vehicle can cost a lot of money and to recover it, owners have started listing their vehicles on platforms like OLX.

MVD observed the rise of such modified vehicles for sale on OLX and has started monitoring the Registration Certificate (RC). People who are selling their vehicles with modified parts and aftermarket accessories are now getting notices to produce their vehicles for inspection at the local RTO. Only after the vehicle with the stock parts and removal of the aftermarket accessories, the RTO will issue the No Objection Certificate (NOC), which is mandatory to sell the vehicle and transfer the owner’s name on the RC.

The officials have said to New Indian Express that the manufacturers provide the best turning radius and changing the wheels causes the vehicle’s centre-of-gravity to shift and affects the stability too. Also, the manufacturers offer the best turning radius but alteration can change that, which can cause accidents as per the officials. Also, replacing the silencers causes environmental pollution. The Enforcement RTO K Manojkumar said that the drive against the modifications vehicle will continue to happen in the future as per the Supreme Court order. The order was passed by the court last year and came into effect earlier this year. It makes any kind of modification on the vehicle illegal.

MVD has taken several steps to put a check on such modified vehicles. The government authority has even acquired devices like Lux meters to check the intensity of the headlamps of the vehicle. Any owner with a modified vehicle gets a notice and has to bring back the vehicle to the stock condition. The vehicle then has to be produced at the RTO for inspection. The drive is against both cars and two-wheelers. A few weeks back, the MVD officials served notices to 11 owners of modified bikes that were put on a college Auto Show. The MVD and RTO earlier revealed that they will also keep an eye on social media platforms to identify modified vehicles and serve notices to the modified vehicles.

Kerala has one of the highest numbers of modified vehicles in India and the locals have already started protesting against the ban. In the future, the protests are expected to grow stronger.