Vehicle owners forced to buy reflective tapes at high prices

CHENNAI: The issue of reflective plates for vehicles being sold at higher prices by vendors selected by the State Transport Department is back in Tamil Nadu with the department once again forcing vehicle owners to buy the tapes only from the selected vendors. The vendors sell the tapes at twice the market price.
During renewal of fitness certificates of commercial vehicles, the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) examine the vehicles including the fitment of reflective tapes which makes it easier for other motorists to spot them at night.
The union road transport ministry has mandated that all tapes should adhere to Automotive Industry Standards (AIS) and be authorised by agencies like the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) or International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT).
As of February 2023, these agencies have authorized close to 13 different vendors in the country. But in Tamil Nadu, the State Transport Commissioner L Nirmal Raj has allowed vehicle owners to buy tapes only from five vendors who sell them at a higher price.
"Unlike the usual price of 2,500, we are spending close to 4,800 per vehicle for the tapes. There are 13 lakh commercial vehicles in the state and this means ₹300 crore is collected in excess every year by these vendors," said S Yuvraj from TN Lorry Owners' Association.
Commissioner Nirmal Raj in an RTI reply said that the remaining six manufacturers (in the ARAI/ICAT approved list) are of Chinese origin and it is state government's policy not to approve them.
Rejecting his claim, Murugan from Tamil Nadu Vehicle Stickers Association said that the union road transport ministry has approved them only after scrutiny and it is sold by them in all other states.