Lorry owners demand State government to drop online fining system

The State Lorry Owners Federation-Tamil Nadu (SLOFT) demanded the State government to drop the online fining system and to waive the fine that were previously slapped on lorries.

In Tamil Nadu, traffic police levy fines online for lorries that violate traffic rules and the fine is updated on lorry records. When a lorry owner approaches the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) for getting fitness certificates or paying taxes, these fines, which will be displayed, must be paid in order to receive the required fitness certificate or insurance. But, lorry owners alleged that the traffic police had imposed fine on lorries that were parked for unloading. In certain cases, the lorry owners claimed that fines were levied without citing valid reasons.

The SLOFT State president, C. Dhanaraj, said that fines levied on heavy vehicles is increasing now, creating hurdles in obtaining the required permits. Therefore, the online fining system should be dropped, he said. He added that the Transport Department is sending registration certificates and driving licenses through registered post, due to which, vehicles are unable to operate on time. “The Transport Department should provide the above documents directly at the RTOs to the lorry owners and drivers,” Mr. Dhanaraj said.

He also added that the Department decided to implement the installation of vehicle location tracking devices (VLTD). “This device will be fruitful for passenger vehicles and not for lorries. Making VLTD compulsory will burden lorry owners,” Mr. Dhanaraj said, urging the government to drop this decision.

Demanding a reduction in the VAT on diesel, Mr. Dhanaraj said that compared to the neighbouring States, diesel prices are high in Tamil Nadu, causing owners to travel to those States to fill up on diesel. “To avoid this, the State government should reduce the VAT on diesel and prevent the fuel price hikes,” he added.