Delhi State Transport Authority cuts overloaded vehicle impound time to seven days
The Delhi State Transport Authority (STA) announced on Friday a major relaxation in penalties for overloaded commercial vehicles in New Delhi, reducing the maximum vehicle impounding period from 90 days to seven days. The authority also introduced a compounding fee option of ₹15,000 to help permit holders avoid permit suspension or vehicle impoundment.
The decision was approved during a recent meeting of the STA. Under the Motor Vehicles Act, permit holders are legally responsible for ensuring that their vehicles do not exceed the permissible laden weight.
Currently, driving an overloaded vehicle attracts a fine of ₹20,000 under Section 194 of the Act, in addition to an extra charge of ₹2,000 for every additional tonne. The violation also triggers actions under Section 86, which previously included permit suspension and vehicle impounding for a period of up to 90 days.
During its recent meeting, the STA noted that it had received directions to dispose of overloading cases within seven days. To address this, the transport department examined the provisions under Section 86(5) of the Motor Vehicles Act. This specific section allows the transport authority to recover a specified monetary amount instead of suspending or cancelling a vehicle's permit.
Following this review, the authority approved reducing the impounding period to seven days for overloading cases. It also fixed the compounding fee at ₹15,000. This final amount is an increase from an earlier proposal of ₹10,000. The fee allows permit holders to make a direct payment to avoid facing permit suspension or vehicle impoundment.
However, officials clarified that the relaxation is conditional. If a permit holder chooses not to pay the ₹15,000 compounding amount, the vehicle will remain impounded for the full seven days. Furthermore, the transport department will initiate additional actions against the violator, including permit suspension, in accordance with the Motor Vehicles Act.
According to transport officials, the new measures are expected to streamline the disposal of vehicle overloading cases across the city. At the same time, the system will retain the necessary penalties for transport violations under the Motor Vehicles Act.
