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A month after launch, BH series registrations yet to gather pace
The Bharat series was introduced to simplify all these hassles with an online application process where vehicles with the BH registration number are not required to be re-registered in a new state
Only about 137 vehicles in India have been registered with the latest “Bharat” (BH) series ever since the Union government launched the new registration series on September 15, national data seen by HT showed.
The BH series was introduced by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) to allow people with transferable jobs to continue using their existing four-wheeler or two-wheeler in another state after relocation. At present, people who relocate to another state have to first get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state where their vehicle is registered. Once the NOC is issued from the parent state, the vehicle is to be re-registered in the new state within 12 months. Besides, even the road tax that was paid for 15 years while purchasing the vehicle has to be re-paid in the new state where the vehicle owner has relocated and the process of getting a refund on pro-rata basis becomes too tedious.
The Bharat series was introduced to simplify all these hassles with an online application process where vehicles with the BH registration number are not required to be re-registered in a new state. Also, instead of the owner paying the road tax upfront for 15 years in total, the tax is levied for two years and in multiple of two thereafter.
However, ministry data accessed by HT showed that the new BH series has seen a slow start with only eight of the 36 states and UTs in India implementing it so far. Among the states that have implemented the BH series, Odisha registered 63 vehicles - the highest of all. This was followed by Delhi (39), and Goa and Rajasthan with 12 registrations each. The other states/UTs include Chandigarh (5), Himachal Pradesh (3), Maharashtra (2) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1). All figures are till October 29.
“We have sent reminders to all the states and UTs, but only a handful of them have actually introduced the series in the past one and a half months. This is one major reason for the slow start. Besides, a few states have also put up queries to the MoRTH seeking clarifications. For example, road tax is a state subject and some states have questioned the proportion in which they should charge for two years instead of 15 years. We are resolving these teething issues to make it more seamless,” said a senior ministry official on condition of anonymity.
For a BH registered vehicle, the Centre has prescribed that the road tax be charged at 8% if the cost of the vehicle is below ₹10 lakh; 10% for those costing between ₹10 and ₹20 lakh; and 12% for vehicles costing over ₹20 lakh. Diesel vehicles are to be charged 2% extra, while electric vehicles shall be charged 2% less tax.
A second senior officer said a few other states also questioned as to how they would verify if the vehicle owner is actually eligible for BH registration. “As per the rule, those who are in transferable jobs such as government employees or even private sector employees whose companies are present in at least four states/UTs are eligible for a BH series registration. While it is easier to verify government employees, some states said they have no way of checking whether a private company has offices in four or more states or not,” said the officer on condition of anonymity.
