In a move to help ease and simplify vehicle ownership, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) to ensure vehicle owners may be allowed to present relevant documents in the electronic format, rather than as hard copies. The SOPs concern all documentation such as certificate of registration, insurance, fitness and permit, driving licence, certificate for pollution under check (PUC) and others.

In a communication to all States and UTs, the Ministry has asked for the SOPs to be implemented to ensure compliance with the provisions of rule 139 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.

Data saved in electronic form means that those documents can be carried and accessed with more convenience, either through the Digilocker app or the ‘mParivahan’ app. Relevant papers like driving licences or registration certificates can be downloaded via these apps and stored on mobile devices. When connected to the internet, the device can then display the document through one of the apps.

Traffic and law enforcement agencies will be able to simultaneously access these details from the eChallan app, which has data for online verification of a vehicle and its license status. Off-line verification of mParivahan QR Code is also available on this platform. Whether individual states have implemented 'Vahan/Sarathi' or not, as long as the ‘National Register’ has been updated, this information will be accessible. Enforcement agencies will also be complete 'challaning' operations including tagging of the driving licence or the certificate of registration so that they can impound a car or suspend a licence.

Besides easing ownership experience, the move will also help benefit the police and citizens would be relieved from the trouble of collecting documents after paying compounding fees as the challan would automatically update the record in the database. This system will also ensure real-time availability of offence status to the transport and traffic enforcement officers and citizens.

The notification to amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 to this effect was issued last month. However, the Ministry has received a number of representations about the mechanism to be adopted by traffic/ transport related enforcement agencies to validate or impound documents in case citizens produce documents in an electronic form.