Nagpur: Owners of vintage vehicles across the country will have to shell out Rs25,000 for registration of vintage motor vehicles, as per the draft notification by ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH). The ministry has invited suggestions and objections before it amends the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, which also proposes Rs5,000 for re-registration and renewal certificate for vintage vehicles.
The draft proposes special letters ‘VA’ in registration mark for vintage vehicles, with state code, two-letter series and four-letter numbers allotted by state registration authority. The government will also appoint state and regional-level Vintage Motor Vehicle State Committee (VMVSC) to decide on issuing a digital certificate of inspection.
Cent Ind Vintage Automotive Association (CIVAA) has opposed the Rs25,000 fee and also made other suggestions. Anjan Chatterjee, secretary, CIVAA, wrote to director of MoRTH that a new category of classics be created for 30-49 year old vehicles, which are feeder automobiles for vintage category.
Chatterjee said some 600 people own vintage vehicles (200 odd four-wheeler and 400 odd two-wheeler owners). He has urged change in definition of vintage motor vehicle as a 50-year-old vintage, based on date of manufacture and not date of first registration.
CIVAA also opposed the VMVSC, as the committee would act as super regulatory authority, with possible misuse of discretionary powers over and above the RTO authority.
The association also said that the Rs25,000 registration fee is very high, and not affordable for many vintage owners from the middle and upper middle classes. This astronomical fee may lead to many vintage owners avoiding compliance with registration process. CIVAA said the aim of the draft notification is to be inclusive and help preserve vintage beauties for posterity, but the proposed fee is a deterrent.
It was also pointed out that the registration fee for a luxury car and a modest two-wheeler moped is the same, and many old two-wheeler may not even fetch resale value of Rs20,000.
The owners organization has suggested fitness tests after 10 years with reasonable charge for different categories of motor vehicles ranging from Rs500 to Rs2,000 at the most.