KP: Owner’s letter needed only for commercial vehicle driver for now
Times of India | 13 April 2024
Kolkata: The letter of authority (LoA), which a person has to carry while driving someone else’s car, is for the time being compulsory for commercial vehicles only, Lalbazar has clarified. Officers pointed out they were in talks with the transport department for clarifications and till then, they would not prosecute private vehicle owners.
Cops, however, said private vehicle owners might keep the document ready, just in case it was required.
The police clarification came after several motorists and two-wheeler-riders vented their grievances on the social media after being pulled up by police for not possessing this document. A motorist, Dipankar Bhattacharya, asked if “a son driving his father’s car, a friend taking his friend’s bike on an errand or a driver taking the car to school to pick his employer’s daughter from school” would require the document.
Lalbazar, too, conceded that it had received several complaints. “As an immediate measure, we are asking people to write to DCP, Traffic, to explain their situation and we will decide whether the prosecutions will be reversed or not on a day-to-day basis,” said an officer, adding they were seeking the transport department’s clarification to address the “grey areas”. “But it is advisable that you get this issued online. It is a simple process. During checks on roads, we can’t possibly know the details of the owners, especially if it’s a second- or third-hand vehicle,” said DC (traffic) Yeliwad Shrikant Jagannathrao.
Motorists are clearly upset with the prosecutions. “There has been a sudden increase in the number of cases by your officials in the name of asking Letter of Authorization for riding a vehicle from immediate family members. This is amounting to pure harassment... There is no clear rule stating it is mandatory, but traffic department officials are adamant that we produce it, even if we have all other relevant documents. It would be helpful instead of charging hefty fines in the names of irrelevant documents, if citizens are made aware. And please train your personnel to be a little polite...” Santosh Kumar Gaur posted on X. Kolkata Police replied on X: “Please send a detailed complaint to dctp@kolkatatrafficpolice.gov.in with necessary details to initiate further action from our end.”
A transport department official said everyone driving someone else’s vehicle should have the owner’s written consent. “An LoA generated through UDIN will be an equally acceptable document as a manually issued and notarised LoA,” he said. The details of the vehicle owner will be verified through Vahan and the authorisation will be done in the format prescribed by the department on the UDIN portal and can be Aadhaar-authenticated.