Bhubaneswar: With the scale of commercial vehicles plying without valid fitness certificates (FC) raising an alarm, the state govt has rolled out a multi‑pronged enforcement plan.The official data points to rampant disregard for road safety norms. According to figures from the state transport authority (STA), e‑challans were issued against 43,696 vehicles detected at toll plazas without FC in three months — from April 1 to June 30 — of which 38,930 (89%) were repeat offenders. The data reveal shocking levels of defiance — 960 vehicles were flagged at least 10 times, 359 caught 20 or more times, and in extreme cases, some were detected up to 82 times in just three months.“Such repeated violations show owners are deliberately flouting statutory requirements, putting road users at grave risk,” the STA wrote in a letter to regional transport officers (RTOs), directing strict enforcement.State transport commissioner Amitabh Thakur said the RTOs were instructed to treat these cases as serious offences, warranting seizure of vehicles, penal action and even cancellation/suspension of registration. “The Supreme Court has made it clear that compounding of offences cannot legitimise continued violations. Payment of challans alone does not authorise vehicles to ply without FC,” Thakur said.As part of the multi‑pronged enforcement plan, toll‑gate interception drives will be carried out jointly by police, highway patrol teams and RTO squads. Seized vehicles will only be released after full compliance with FC, registration, permit, insurance and tax requirements.Notices will be served to repeat offenders, directing them to renew FCs, clear pending challans and produce vehicles for inspection. Failure to comply will invite immediate seizure and cancellation of registration.Priority action will focus on vehicles detected 10 or more times, with the RTOs given seven days to act. A 15‑day deadline has been set for those flagged five to nine times, while vehicles caught two to four times must face enforcement within 30 days.The transport commissioner’s office has also warned enforcement officials against laxity. “The purpose of e‑detection is not just to generate challans but to ensure road safety. If repeated violations go unchecked, offending vehicles will continue to ply without FC. Failure to act will be viewed seriously,” the letter cautioned.The crackdown follows a fatal accident in Mayurbhanj district recently, when two people died after being hit by a vehicle without FC.By law, new commercial vehicles must renew FC every two years for the first eight years, and annually thereafter. Under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, a transport vehicle without a valid FC is deemed not validly registered.
