A PUC Certificate is the mandatory document that every vehicle owner must possess while driving a motor vehicle in India. The full form of PUC is Pollution under Control. It is a valid certification, that’s granted to a vehicle that has passed the PUC Test. If your vehicle receives this certificate, it implies that your car or bike’s vehicular emissions are under control and in accordance with the pollution norms. In short, your car / bike is not a threat to the air of your city. All vehicles that are operational on the Indian roads are required to carry a valid PUC certificate. Pollution testing centres issuing PUC certificate for your vehicle across all cities
The process for the PUC certification has been specified as per the Central Motor Vehicles Rule.
All motor vehicles release smoke which has the potential to pollute the environment, if left unchecked. As such, there have be some norms to check the vehicular emission levels to determine how safe they are and whether they add to the city’s air pollution.
While every vehicle owner would be familiar with the importance of carrying a valid driving license, the significance of the other two documents is often overlooked. Remember that PUC certification is mandatory as per the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 that you obtain a compulsory insurance coverage. As per the Central Motor Vehicles Rule, 1989, it is mandatory to get a PUC Certification for your vehicle.
PUC must be obtained when a new vehicle is purchased. A PUC Certificate is always issued with the new vehicle. This certificate has a validity period of one year. After that, you will be required to get a new PUC Certificate through a PUC testing centre.
You must carry a valid PUC certificate in the vehicle according to the Rule 115 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989. This means that you must have the PUC Certificate in the vehicle at all times and that it must be produced immediately when asked by any officer not below the rank of Sub-Inspector of Police or the Inspector of Motor Vehicles. Section 115 (given above) is very clear that “the certificate shall always be carried in the vehicle and produced on demand
Merely mastering the driving techniques doesn't give you the authorization to drive a vehicle. There are several other qualifications you must acquire before you start with your vehicle driving. The Road Transport Authority of the state government deals with the issues of the roads and vehicular driving.According to the Motor Vehicle Act, any person who wishes to drive a vehicle must acquire a valid driving license from the Road Transport Authority (RTA). Your competency to drive and capability to control the vehicle is tested by the RTA and a valid license will be issued to you to drive the vehicle.Driving license is more or less, a permit given certifying the potentiality of a driver to drive a particular vehicle. Driving license is of two types: Learner's Driving License and Permanent Driving License.Learner's Driving License : It is a license issued to any person who is above 18 years of age. It must be acquired to learn driving a vehicle. A person holding the learners' license should compulsorily display an L-board on his vehicle. He should be guided by another experienced driver who holds a valid permanent license for the vehicle of the particular class. The period of validity of the learners' license is six (6) months and can be renewed every six (6) months.Permanent Driving License: It is a license issued to any person who is between 18-50 years of age and has completed his learning period with a learners' license for not less than a period of six months. The applicant should hold a valid learners' license while applying for a permanent driving license. The certificate awarded by a recognized motor driving school should also be submitted along with the application. On scrutiny of the documents, the applicant will be called for a driving test. The applicant along with his vehicle has to go to the testing track or field and drive on the track according to the regulations of a driving inspector. On successful completion of the driving test, the applicant will be provided with a permanent driving license. The period of validity of the permanent license is five (5) or ten (10) or twenty (20) years, depending upon the category of the vehicle and the age of the drive.This is a list of the categories that might be found on a driving license in India.
It should be remembered that an applicant for Medium Goods / Passenger Vehicle and Heavy Goods / Passenger Vehicle should hold a valid permanent license of the vehicle of the immediate lower category. Such applicants, who already hold a permanent driving license of a particular category, shall be issued multiple-category license upon satisfactory performance in the driving test. But under any circumstances, no person is allowed to hold more than one permanent license. The RTA reserves the right to cancel or suspend a driving license of a driver on the grounds of misconduct or misbehaviour or committing of any offence against law or for violation of any condition of duties as a driver or when it is found that the person has obtained license by misrepresentation of facts or by any fraudulent means
Vehicle insurance (also known as car insurance, motor insurance, or auto insurance) is insurance for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other road vehicles. Its primary use is to provide financial protection against physical damage or bodily injury resulting from traffic collisions and against liability that could also arise from incidents in a vehicle. Vehicle insurance may additionally offer financial protection against theft of the vehicle, and against damage to the vehicle sustained from events other than traffic collisions, such as keying, weather or natural disasters, and damage sustained by colliding with stationary objects. The specific terms of vehicle insurance vary with legal regulations in each region.
Auto insurance in India deals with the insurance covers for the loss or damage caused to the automobile or its parts due to natural and man-made calamities. It provides accident cover for individual owners of the vehicle while driving and also for passengers and third party legal liability. There are certain general insurance companies who also offer online insurance service for the vehicle.
Auto insurance in India is a compulsory requirement for all new vehicles used whether for commercial or personal use. The insurance companies have tie-ups with leading automobile manufacturers. They offer their customers instant auto quotes. Auto premium is determined by a number of factors and the amount of premium increases with the rise in the price of the vehicle. The claims of the auto insurance in India can be accidental, theft claims or third party claims. Certain documents are required for claiming auto insurance in India, like duly signed claim form, RC copy of the vehicle, driving license copy, FIR copy, original estimate and policy copy.
Private Car Insurance – Private Car Insurance is the fastest growing sector in India as it is compulsory for all the new cars. The amount of premium depends on the make and value of the car, state where the car is registered and the year of manufacture. This amount can be reduced by asking the insurer for No Claim Bonus (NCB) if no claim is made for insurance in previous year.[18]
Two Wheeler Insurance – The Two Wheeler Insurance in India covers accidental insurance for the drivers of the vehicle. The amount of premium depends on the current showroom price multiplied by the depreciation rate fixed by the Tariff Advisory Committee at the beginning of a policy period.
Commercial Vehicle Insurance – Commercial Vehicle Insurance in India provides cover for all the vehicles which are not used for personal purposes like trucks and HMVs. The amount of premium depends on the showroom price of the vehicle at the commencement of the insurance period, make of the vehicle and the place of registration of the vehicle.
This cover is mandatory in India under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. This cover cannot be used for personal damages. This is offered at low premiums and allows for third party claims under “no fault liability. The premium is calculated through the rates provided by the Tariff Advisory Committee. This is branch of the IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India). It covers bodily injury/accidental death and property damage.
Motor vehicle registration is the registration of a motor vehicle with a government authority, either compulsory or otherwise. The purpose of motor vehicle registration is to establish a link between a vehicle and an owner or user of the vehicle. This link might be used for taxation or crime detection purposes. While almost all motor vehicles are uniquely identified by a vehicle identification number, only registered vehicles display a vehicle registration plate and carry a vehicle registration certificate. Motor vehicle registration is different from motor vehicle licensing and roadworthiness certification.
A registration certificate or RC is an official document stating that your vehicle is registered with the Indian government. It acts as a document proving the registration of your motor vehicle. A temporary registration certificate is valid for one month from the date of issue and cannot be renewed.
Every vehicle owner (private or non-commercial vehicle) is required to register his vehicle at the nearest RTO office. As a part of the registration procedure, the vehicle is inspected by an inspecting authority at the RTO office/zonal office.
You can also get your vehicle registered through motor vehicle dealers who have the registration powers. In this case, the self-registering dealers will deliver the motor vehicle to the customer only after getting the vehicle registered.
It acts as a document proving the registration of your motor vehicle. In India, it is essential for a vehicle owner to obtain a registration certificate as the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act, 1988 makes it mandatory for every vehicle owner to have a valid RC to be able to drive a motor vehicle on Indian roads.
Registration of motorised road vehicles in India is done by local Regional Transport Offices of the states. Commercial vehicles registered in one state cannot enter another state without a permit, which usually incurs a significant cost. Passenger vehicles registered in one state are allowed to pass through another state, but are not allowed to stay in another state for longer than a fixed number of months unless the road-tax being paid depending on Transport Rules of the States.
A latest move by the Government of India may centralise the registration procedure in order to curb the corruption which prevails with all the regional transport offices. This is expected to make the registration of a vehicle valid in all states, unlike now, when many vehicle owners need to have separate registration certificates for each separate state, which is very hectic now.
Permit is an instrument issued by a State or Regional Transport Authority authorizing the use of a motor vehicle as a transport vehicle in specified manner as per the relevant provisions of Motor Vehicle Act and rules framed their under. Section 66 of Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 mandates for necessity of permit to transport vehicles. However, transport vehicles belonging to Central or State Government, police, local body, fire brigade, ambulance, cranes and goods vehicle having gross vehicle weight not exceeding 3000 kilograms are exempted from the necessity of permit.
Types of permits available for motor vehicles in India and the conditions to be met the permits provided for motors vehicles operating on Indian roads is divided varies depending upon the type of vehicle. The type of vehicle as far as permits are considered, is divided into goods vehicles and passenger vehicles. In this page, permits available for the two class of vehicles will be looked at in detail.
The different types of permits available for a goods vehicle are as follows:
A goods carrier permit can be obtained by the owner of a goods vehicle under Section 79 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 if the vehicle is in operation within the state. This permit is applicable only for a specified area in the state.
A national permit is issued to a goods vehicle which requires to move out of the home state. A national permit is issued for at least four states in continuation taking the home state into account as per rule 86 and 87 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rule, 1989. To obtain a national permit, the age of the goods vehicle should not be more than 12 years and the age of a multi axle vehicle should not be more than 15 years. To apply for a national permit for a goods vehicle, the applicant has to fill the form via Form 46 and Form 48.
The different types of permits available for a passenger vehicle are as follows:
Auto Rickshaw and Taxi permits are issued to auto rickshaws and taxis in the region of Delhi by MLO Burari. The fare levied by these vehicles is calculated via a meter mounted. The fares for auto rickshaw and taxi are as follows:
A Maxicab permit is issued to a type of vehicle that takes passengers via a fixed route in Delhi. The fares are decided by the STA and the capacity of the vehicle including the driver should not exceed more than 13.
A Phat Phat sewa permit was earlier issued to motor vehicles that were three wheeled and had harley davidson engines. Now Phat Phat sewa permits are issued to vehicles that ply on a fixed route and have a maximum capacity of 10 people including the driver. The fares are determined by the STA.
A Phat Phat sewa permit was earlier issued to motor vehicles that were three wheeled and had harley davidson engines. Now Phat Phat sewa permits are issued to vehicles that ply on a fixed route and have a maximum capacity of 10 people including the driver. The fares are determined by the STA.
The eco friendly sewa permit is issued to vehicles that have three wheels and run on battery. These vehicles can have a seating capacity upto 11 including the driver.
A Contract Carriage Buses Permits (Chartered Buses) is the most common type of permit issued in the mould of hire and reward purpose. A contract is signed between the holder of the permit and the operator of the vehicle which allows the bus to be driven from one location to another on a fixed route. The driver of the bus should possess the list of passengers travelling in the chartered bus. The driver cannot allow any other passenger other than the names mentioned on the list to travel on the chartered bus. Contract Carriage Buses Permits (Chartered Buses) ar issued under section 74 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. An applicant for this permit via PCA form.
Stage carriage permits are issued by the government of Delhi to buses that travel on different routes of the city picking up passengers. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and private buses come under this category. Stage carriage permits are issued under section 70 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The fares are determined by STA.
Temporary permits are issued to vehicles under section 87 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. It allows the vehicle to operate outside of Delhi for a limited period of time. The circumstances in which a vehicle is issued a temporary permit are as follows:
To obtain a permit for motor cabs, the following criteria should be met:
Rent a cab scheme was launched in India in 1989. To obtain a Rent a cab permit, the following criteria should be met by the applicant:
Under the societies act of 1960, Institution/School Buses permits are provided to vehicles that are owned by educational institutions. The vehicles are painted in golden yellow color and also exempted from road tax.
For a vehicle to obtain All India Tourist Permit (AITP) the criteria to be met is as follows: If the vehicle is a bus, it should be a luxury bus which is white in color. It should have a blue ribbon which is 5 cms wide that is placed at the center of the exterior of the body of the bus. The word 'Tourist' is to be included on the two sides of the vehicle.
The national permit for a vehicle expires in 9 years from the date of its issue for a motor cab and 8 years for any vehicle other than the motor cab. If the motor vehicle is replaced by another vehicle that is not older than 2 years, no renewal is required. Also it essential for the vehicle to be equipped with public address system, drinking water, push full back seats, fans, curtains, a separate driver cabin etc.
A fitness certificate is an official document certifying that the holder's vehicle is fit for being driven in public places.
As per the Motor Vehicles Act, a vehicle must have a fitness certificate issued by the manufacturer, and also, another fitness certificate issued by the state RTO authorities after the inspection of its condition, its pollution certificate, tax, insurance, and other such details.
The registration of vehicle is treated as valid only if the vehicle has valid certificate of Fitness. In case of Private vehicles the fitness certificates is valid for 15 years and there after renewed at every 5 years. The fitness is checked and certified by the Registering Authority. In case of Transport Vehicles the fitness certificate is issued for a new vehicle for 2 years and subsequently renewed every year. Fitness certificate is issued to check the pollution caused by the emission of smoke from the vehicles, to maintain the vehicle in proper condition and to avoid accidents.