FILE PHOTO: A traffic policeman gives a rose to a motorist as part of a traffic rules awareness drive at Shivranjani cross road in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on February 9, 2021.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI
The audit report that uncovers widespread lapses in compliance under the Motor Vehicles Act and raises questions about road safety and regulatory oversight was tabled in Gujarat Assembly on Wednesday. It points out that over 3,100 challans were issued to vehicles other than two-wheelers for “helmet” violations, even though helmet rules apply only to two-wheeler riders.
Similarly, 10 cases of “triple riding”—an offence specific to bikes—were recorded against vehicles where such a violation is not possible. At the same time, 679 challans were issued to two- and three-wheeler riders for “not wearing seatbelts,” even though seatbelt rules are generally meant for car occupants.
Compliance issues abound
Between 2019 and 2024, CAG also found 5.36 lakh vehicles operating on Gujarat’s roads with expired Certificates of Registration (RCs) and an additional 4.99 lakh vehicles — most of them transport vehicles — plying without valid fitness certificates. The country’s topmost audit watchdog also noted that the potential fees and penalties for these lapses could have amounted to ₹88 crore for RC renewals and ₹980 crore for expired fitness certificates, highlighting the scale of revenue loss and enforcement gaps.
Compliance issues extended further. Owners of 69.26 lakh vehicles registered between April 2009 and March 2019 failed to renew their Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) even once during the five-year period between 2019 and 2024. Many vehicles were also operating without mandatory speed governors, high-security registration plates, or vehicle-tracking devices, violating regulatory provisions and posing safety and security risks.
CAG recommends enforcement drive
The CAG recommended a coordinated statewide enforcement drive combining RTO and traffic police efforts, along with e-detection at toll plazas, to systematically identify vehicles with expired RCs, fitness certificates, PUCCs, or permits, and to ensure time-bound compliance and recovery of fees and penalties.
CAG also found delays of more than 500 days in issuance of contract carriage permits and Goods carriage permits for vehicles registered between 2019 and 2024. “Though permits of 98,619 vehicles had expired, neither the vehicle owners applied for renewal nor the RTOs/ARTOs concerned took any action in this regard,” CAG stated while adding that such vehicles were also found operating on the roads in the state,” the report added.
Published on March 26, 2026