Privatization of Vehicle registration by giving more autonomy to dealers needs to be reviewed in the State. There are not many roles left for the DTO which is important machinery of the Transport Department. Customers are still facing problems and there is no separate window to redress their grievances. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren launched Dealer Point Registration System and Online Permit System for the vehicles on 28 September 2020. Indeed, this is one of the achievements of the BJP govt which comes under ease of doing business.
With the introduction of Dealership Point Registration (DPR), the govt is hopeful of reducing corruption, delays, and red-tapism in the Transport Department. Several states have started DPR in Assam, Delhi, Odisha, Telangana, Punjab, Kerala etc.
Under the Dealer Point Registration system, registration of non-transport vehicles with the fully built body from manufacturers can be done at the dealer level itself. With DPR, it was expected that the new regime in Transport Department will reduce the time taken for registration of vehicles, paperwork, corruption, and workload of District Transport officers (DTO).
Through DPR, a customer can visit the automobile showroom and could return home with the vehicle on the same day. Dealers will do all formalities like uploading the documents -relevant forms, insurance etc. on the Parivahan portal when customers select the vehicle and make payments.
Vehicle data and sale amount details are obtained in the Parivahan postal, therefore showroom dealers cannot edit them. However, vehicle tax, insurance fees, handling charges, and other miscellaneous are calculated by the showroom.
This is where customers are not satisfied. Before the DPR regime, it was hardly Rs 7000 for the registration of new two-wheelers. However, showrooms are not charging around Rs 12,000 per vehicle. Customers have the right to know why this increase in the fees.
Besides, the customers have to wait for 3-4 days to get their vehicles from the showroom. Sometimes, one has to wait for more than 2-4 weeks after the payment of the new vehicles.
Small traders who deal in two-wheelers were forced to shut down their shops in Manipur. The State Transport Department has canceled the trade certificates of 17 unauthorized dealers in the State as per a notification issued on January 25, 2022.
The sale of motor vehicles by these 17 unauthorized dealers is henceforth deemed illegal and people are also directed to refrain from making their purchases from these agencies as their vehicles will not be registered in Manipur.
The Monopoly played by some Dealers in the State can be reduced if the Transport Department allow the opening of more dealers in different district of the State.
Presently, auto dealers are present mainly in Imphal West, and Imphal East. When a customer from Churachandpur or Moreh town purchases a vehicle, he has to contact the authorized dealer which is based in Imphal only. The registration of the vehicle will have to be done either with DTO Imphal East or DTO Imphal West under the new dealer point registration regime.
In this regard, the DTO of other districts has informed the Transport Director that there is no provision for interfacing in between dealers sitting at Imphal with other DTO set up in other districts of Manipur. Such a system debar the wishes of the vehicle owners who desire to get their vehicles registered with the district concerned.
Several feedbacks from the customers suggest that dealers are delaying the completion of the registration process beyond the expected time limit and there are even discrepancies in the billing of taxes and fees which need constant monitoring and re-evaluation.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the High Court in Karnataka against the Dealer Point Registration. The PIL was worried that giving the power of registration to a dealer’s staff will have far-reaching effects. All other subsequent actions, including ensuring the vehicle, depending on the entries made on the certificate of registration. Any wrong entry, intentional or unintentional, can result in denial of insurance claim and ownership claim.
The monopoly played by a few motor dealers in the State needs to be checked so that customers’ redressal could be heard by the Transport Department.
The present system of the dealer point registration system portal of the Transport Department needs to revisit and update to create a transparent and reliable platform for sharing of registration data among the DTO of the State.
The most important issue with the DPR is that there are missing links, rather, an interfacing system between the Dealers and DTO where customer issues and grievances can be heard. And the very concept of citizen-centric is at the helm of doom since citizens are unhappy with the services of few dealers in the registration of their vehicles.