10 million vehicles in Kerala missing from 'Vahan' portal; No way to issue fines

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Data for over 10 million (one crore) vehicles in Kerala is missing from the 'Vahan' portal, the centralised repository for vehicle information. This significant gap—or the presence of incomplete records—came to light when the central government implemented an 'auto-approval' system within the Motor Vehicles Department. The department is now scrambling to collect the necessary documentation from vehicle owners. These are vehicles that were registered before the 'Vahan' portal was introduced in 2019.

Until 2018, vehicle data was maintained using 'Smart Move' software. When this data had to be shifted to the 'Vahan' software, the Motor Vehicles Department sought assistance from a government agency. During the data entry process, several errors occurred; for instance, the English letter 'O' in chassis numbers was replaced with the digit '0' (zero). Investigations revealed numerous such discrepancies. Furthermore, details including horsepower, laden weight, and wheelbase are also incomplete.

Although attempts were made to add information while omitting certain records, the AI-based central software detected the discrepancies. Transport Commissioner Sparjan Kumar issued written instructions to all offices, mandating that such information be corrected—either through email submissions or in person when vehicle owners visit the RTO offices.

No way to issue fines

Data regarding vehicle emission testing (pollution checks) and other requirements have been entered incompletely. Consequently, the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) is unable to impose fines on vehicles that have failed to undergo timely emission testing.

WHAT NEXT:

• Vehicle owners will bear the responsibility of delivering documents to the office.

• The office cannot record technical vehicle details based solely on information provided by the owner.

• Owners of second-hand vehicles will face greater difficulty obtaining the necessary documents.