226 vehicles face RTO action for violating rules

They also cracked down on construction-material carrying goods vehicles that lacked proper safety measures, creating risk of accidents with other vehicles on the road. Concerns have also been raised about vehicles carrying sand and other material that hamper the ease of commuting for the rest of the public.

Deputy RTO Sanjiv Bhor said that increased concerns about accidents caused by sand particles entering eyes, and sand falling onto the road, were the main reasons behind RTO’s law enforcement efforts on these vehicles.

While speaking about violation of RTO norms with regard to school buses and vans, he said that such vehicles are non-transport vehicles owned by private parties for personal use, but they deploy these vehicles in schools for traveling service.

“If a Maruti Omni car has a capacity for six plus one person, then it is allowed to ferry 8 children up to the age of 12. We don’t permit more than that. However, these vehicles often ignore regulations and usually ferry as many as 10 to 12 children at a time. Also, schools are not permitted to use buses older than 15 years to ferry school children,” said Bhor.

The RTO is also cracking down on auto-rickshaws without permits, driving licences and badges. Bhor said that several scrapped vehicles from Marathwada, Vidarbha and other places are turned into auto-rickshaws with fake licence plates. RTO’s flying squads are catching such vehicle owners for violating norms. “We are focusing on spots such as airport, railway station, Swargate bus stand, Shivajinagar, as these vehicles are most often found here,” he added.