Guidelines on Telangana vehicle numbers soon

Hyderabad: The Telangana government is drawing up guidelines to facilitate the transition of vehicle registration from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has told transport officials to frame guidelines detailing how vehicle owners should go about changing their registration numbers and obtain new registration certificate smart cards.

Telangana Transport commissioner M. Jagadeeshwar said the guidelines will be announced in a few days. “There should be no confusion at all. Only state code and district codes will have to be changed. Guidelines will be issued soon,” he said.

Ironically,  AP government vehicles will have to carry a Telangana registration since the transport jurisdiction of Hyderabad is under the Telangana transport department. AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his family will also have to travel in cars with Telangana registration.

Some officials indicate that vehicle owners can simply change their number plate in accordance with the codes allotted to their respective districts. However, there are issues with respect to the change of the registration certificate smart cards issued by the transport department at the time of registration. Whether new RC smart cards reflecting the change in number have to be obtained or the same can be used is not clear.

Also, it is not clear whether the financial burden of the issue of new RC smart cards will be transferred to the vehicle owners or will be borne by the government. The Reorganisation Bill states that any permit valid before the Appointed Day for the bifurcation, which is valid for the combined state will be valid in both states.

Vehicle owners who have already paid life tax for their vehicles will not have to pay further taxes. S.A.V. Prasada Rao, joint transport commissioner, AP, said, “Those who want to change their registration from Telangana to Andhra after a few years will also not have to pay any further taxes.”