Motor Vehicles Department seizes six vehicles with Puducherry number

Thiruvananthapuram: The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) authorities have seized six Puducherry-registered luxury cars plying on Kerala roads for evading road tax on Saturday. They were seized from Kozhikode, Kannur and Wayanad districts. The MVD has been taking stern action against Puducherry-registered cars as many owners have not paid taxes even after the government announcing an amnesty scheme.

As per law a vehicle registered in other states should not be used in Kerala for more than one year. Meanwhile, Motor Vehicles Department has collected Rs 5.5 crores as tax after 55 luxury cars with Puducherry registration (PY) were shifted to Kerala registration. Owners had shell out up to Rs 14.5-20 lakhs as tax from last November to mid-March.

As per available records there are about 2,000 vehicles owned by permanent residents of Kerala who have registered their vehicles in Puducherry to avail of the reduced taxes there. Crime Branch has also registered cases against 11 show room managers of Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode for encouraging people to register their vehicles in Puducherry and making arrangements for the same.