Taking serious note of the rising number of accidents involving two wheelers and in a bid to crack down on underage driving a new regulation with regard to issue of licenses for two wheelers has come into effect in Kolkata.
The Transport Department has made it mandatory that all two wheeler buyers will have to show their license and get identity proof verified at the Regional Transport Offices in person. This is against the general trend nationwide, where buyers can purchase any automobile and get it registered in an adult’s name even if the person does not possess a valid driving license or have the necessary skill to drive a vehicle.
Following this new regulation, issued on 28th June 2018, Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) in Kolkata has noted a 65-70% dip in two wheeler sales – including that of Honda Activa and Hero Splendor, which are the best selling two wheelers in the region.
Though dealers and automakers support the objective to deter minors from riding two wheelers, they argue that while in the case of four wheelers, the owner and driver may be different, this is not the usual case in two wheelers where the owner is usually the driver. However, the Transport Department has stated that all other measures to bring about some discipline in the case of two wheelers have failed and hence the need to take this more stringent step.
With the new regulation now requiring two wheeler buyers to appear before the Regional Transport Authority in person as against the earlier rule to furnish PAN and Aadhar cards for purchase of two wheelers, sales across the state have plummeted. Sales in Kolkata, which stood at 60,000 units per month, are now down to 18,000-20,000 while state wise sales have dipped from 1 lakh units per month to just 30,000-35,000 units.
FADA representatives have approached the Regional Transport Authority urging them to revert to the earlier rule. Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) have also urged the state government to do away with this rule that requires owners to possess a license. They urge that awareness would create a better impact rather than linking sales to licenses.
