NEW DELHI: Electric-battery operated vehicles and the ones running on 100% ethanol or methanol will now not require commercial permits from the state transport departments. The transport ministry has exempted these categories of vehicles running on clean and alternative fuel from the purview of permit conditions.

 

This move will not only reduce corruption at regional transport offices (RTOs) but also end the restrictive practices which different states have put in place. Such restrictions often force people to get the permits after paying high charges.

 

 

“The exemption to get a permit will liberalise the plying of vehicles and we will see increase in the number of electric buses and auto-rickshaws in cities,” a transport ministry official said. Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari had been pushing the proposal to give this exemption to such environment-friendly vehicles. Officials said increase in number of vehicles running on alternative fuel will be a big game-changer as it will help reduce India’s dependence on imported crude.

 

Officials said the exemption from permit does not mean the vehicles won’t comply with other conditions - valid registration, fitness, passenger insurance cover and pollution under control (PUC) certificate in the case of ethanol and methanol vehicles.

 

 

While non-commercial electric vehicles have been assigned distinct “green registration plate” with letters and numbers in while, in the case of commercial electric vehicles the numbers and letters will be in yellow. Currently, there is no vehicle in India which runs on 100% ethanol or methanol. Officials said they would consider assigning a specific colour of number plate for such vehicles when they are available in the market.