RTO confirms no dealers in city for mandatory reflective tapes

Nagpur: Even though the transport department has made reflective tape certificate number, reflective fitment date, and reflective tape manufacturer name mandatory on all heavy vehicles undergoing fitness certificate test from October 4, there is no dealer in Nagpur who stocks the authorized tapes. As a result, fitness tests for transport vehicles could not be conducted for the second consecutive day on Thursday, with transporters failing to get the reflective tape certificates.

The department's decision to implement the rule — that had been notified eight years ago, but rarely complied with — is causing transporters huge financial loss. "Without renewal of fitness certificates, we cannot ply our heavy vehicles. The delay in the tests will force us to pay late fee even though it is not due to our fault," said a transporter.

RTO Sharad Jichkar admitted that not a single dealer in the city has authorization to sell the mandatory reflective tapes or give certificates. He claimed that the department is carrying out fitness tests but not issuing certificates.

According to an official in the department, the new standard tapes were made mandatory for all transport vehicles in May 2009 as per the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989. It is mandatory to fix AIS-090: 2005 standard retro-reflective tapes. It is only now that the RTO has started strictly enforcing it.