Cuttack: The Odisha Transport Department has launched a major crackdown on transport vehicles operating without valid Fitness Certificates (FC), shifting its strategy from merely issuing automated e-challans to ordering immediate physical interceptions, vehicle seizures, and the suspension of registrations and permits.
A directive issued by the Transport Commissioner to all Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) and Deputy Transport Commissioners (DCTs) revealed a severe pattern of non-compliance. Data analyzed from the state’s e-Detection portal between April 1 and June 30, 2026, exposed widespread and deliberate violations. Over the three-month period, 43,696 e-challans were generated against 11,401 commercial vehicles. A massive portion of these involved habitual offenders: 6,635 vehicles were flagged multiple times, 2,191 were detected five or more times, 960 were caught over 10 times, 359 exceeded 20 violations, and a core group of 37 vehicles bypassed checkpoints without valid fitness documentation more than 50 times. High-frequency violators included individual vehicles logged up to 82 times.
The data pinpointed critical high-traffic violation zones at major toll plazas across the state. Bandal (Old Manguli) Toll Plaza recorded the highest volume with 5,281 cases, followed closely by Pipili Toll Plaza with 4,816 cases, and Seragarh Toll Plaza with 3,769 cases. Significant numbers were also registered at Gudipada/Gangapada (2,807), Sambalpur-Bargarh (2,338), Bhagabada-Narayanpur (2,141), Kandra (1,629), Gurapali (1,579), Karapada (1,523), and Darjing Toll Plaza (1,502).
Citing Section 56 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the Transport Commissioner emphasized that a transport vehicle operating without a valid FC is legally stripped of its registration status, transforming it into an public safety hazard rather than a simple technical defaulter. Invoking the Supreme Court ruling in Paramjit Bhasin & Others v. Union of India & Others, the state clarified that paying a fine or receiving a challan does not grant a vehicle a license to continue breaking the law.
To systematically clear these hazardous vehicles from public roads, the department has structured a strict, tiered enforcement timeline based on the volume of offenses. Top-tier violators flagged 10 or more times (Category-I) must face targeted enforcement and formal notices within seven days. Vehicles with five to nine detections (Category-II) are slated for action within 15 days, while those with two to four detections (Category-III) will be placed on a watch list for resolution within 30 days. Single-time offenders will face standard challan follow-ups and verification procedures.
RTOs are mandated to design specific toll-gate interception plans, forming joint task forces
with local police, highway patrols, neighbouring RTO squads, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Once a vehicle is physically intercepted, enforcement officers will cross-reference its real-time credentials on the VAHAN portal. If the vehicle is found operating without a FC, valid tax records, insurance, or proper route permits, it will be seized immediately under Section 207 of the MV Act. The state has explicitly banned the practice of letting offending vehicles continue their journeys simply because an e-challan has been printed.
Furthermore, seized vehicles will only be released via a comprehensive written order from a competent authority once all documentation—including fitness, registration, insurance, tax compliance, and overall mechanical roadworthiness—is completely updated. Habitual offenders face aggressive legal consequences, as RTOs have been directed to initiate formal proceedings to suspend or cancel vehicle Registration Certificates under Sections 53, 54, and 55, alongside permit revocations under Section 86 of the MV Act. For vehicles registered outside of Odisha, local authorities will monitor movements via an enforcement watch-list and forward documented violations directly to the registering authorities of the respective home states.
In tandem with the on-road enforcement drive, the Transport Commissioner has implemented a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to clean up backend administrative procedures for vehicle registration, ownership transfers, driving licenses, and address changes. The overhaul addresses a string of recent administrative vulnerabilities where approvals were granted purely based on online document uploads without verifying whether applicants genuinely resided or operated businesses within an RTO’s specific jurisdiction. These lapses severely crippled the state’s ability to serve legal notices, track accident liabilities, and collect appropriate taxes.
The new administrative SOP introduces strict identification protocols, requiring thorough physical verification of original papers whenever electronic authentication is unavailable. For transport vehicles, approvals for routine services are now frozen until staff verify the status of pending taxes, insurance, active fitness certificates, and valid permits. Ownership transfers require rigorous cross-checking of buyer and seller identities against Forms 29 and 30, with mandatory physical address verifications triggered if an out-of-state applicant utilizes an Odisha address. The policy strictly bans the use of a third-party’s identity documents as a shortcut for address proof.
Additionally, hypothecation terminations now strictly require double-end validation via Form 35 or an official No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the financier. The state has made it clear that every digital approval stamped on the VAHAN or SARATHI portals acts as a binding personal certification by the operating official. Mechanical or blind approvals will be treated as serious professional misconduct. Dealing assistants, verifying officers, and approving authorities will be held personally and legally liable for any fraudulent approvals, unverified addresses, or subsequent legal disputes. To ensure compliance across both road safety and office administration, DCTs will conduct rigid monthly reviews, while RTOs are required to submit granular progress reports every fortnight.