For the past week or so, the Jammu and Kashmir police have been carrying out a crackdown against vehicles with registration numbers from outside the Union territory. Hundreds of such seized vehicles are now parked at police stations, causing resentment among locals in the Kashmir Valley, who are making rounds of police stations to get their vehicles released. Scores of others are keeping their vehicles at home out of fear.
The seizures began after a vehicle with a non-J&K registration number was allegedly used by militants in the attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Srinagar on March 25. Three CRPF troopers were killed in the attack that police say was carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Kashmir zone inspector general of police Vijay Kumar said militants were using vehicles from outside the UT for attacks. “Some [non-J&K] vehicles seized recently were used by militants to carry out attacks on security forces, including the one recovered after the attack in Lawaypora (on the outskirts of Srinagar),” Kumar said.
The J&K administration has made it mandatory for non-J&K vehicle owners to apply for a fresh registration number in the UT. It has given vehicle owners 15 days to submit documents with the regional transport office (RTO) for fresh registration. Kashmir regional transport officer Akramullah Tak said vehicles registered in other states or UTs have to re-register in J&K in order to ply in the UT. Such vehicle owners will also have to pay road tax as per the remaining number of plying years of the vehicle. “People who have vehicles registered in their names won't face any issue and their vehicles will not be seized. But they should not ply these vehicles in J&K for over 12 months,” says Tak.
However, on the ground, irrespective of ownership and time period, vehicles with non-J&K registration are being detained. Dr Masood Rashid, a doctor based in the Valley who purchased a car in his name in 2007 from New Delhi, narrates his experience. “My vehicle was flagged down by policemen on the road several times. Every time, I had to explain that our family owns property in Delhi and I got my car from Delhi as there were some [discount] offers available then,” says Dr Rashid. “But policemen are not easily convinced as they have been given orders to detain vehicles even if genuine documents are produced. This is very disturbing and amounts to harassment.”
One of the reasons why vehicles from outside J&K ply in the UT is that people prefer to buy pre-owned vehicles since they are cheaper. Secondly, a section of the population keeps moving in and out of Kashmir either for business or to spend the winters at warmer places, making it a normal practice to hold vehicles with non-J&K registrations. “For six months or more, I am based in Delhi along with my family. My car is registered in Delhi,” says Imtiyaz Ahmad, who runs his family business of handicrafts and returned to Kashmir last month. “My car is registered in my name and its details are just click away. This is enough to prove that my vehicle is not illegal. But that doesn't seem to be enough. I fear my car could be seized without any valid reason.”
The exercise has drawn flak from political parties and trade bodies. National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi is not averse to re-registration of vehicles in the UT but has sought exemption on tax to be paid. He feels the move will further burden people economically. “To ensure that all outside vehicles are duly re-registered, the government should only charge a nominal amount,” he says.
The RTO Kashmir's order has been challenged in the J&K High Court by Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Srinagar, citing the law that any vehicle kept in a state other than where it was originally registered has to re-register only if the period of stay exceeds 12 months. The levying of fresh tax has also been challenged.
Amid this, the pre-owned car market in the UT is facing a slump as there are few takers for non-J&K vehicles. In Srinagar, a majority of car dealers who would buy genuine used vehicles from neighbouring states are staring at gloom. A well-known car dealer in Srinagar says he hasn't sold a single unit since the diktat came in force. He usually brings 3-4 vehicles from other states, especially with Delhi registration numbers, every week. “But now, we are mainly busy with documentation process for our clients,” he says.
Courtesy: India Today
