HT Digital
SHILLONG, JUNE 16: The Meghalaya Transport Department has issued a strict warning against the employment of private two-wheelers and four-wheelers for commercial rental use. The move follows a criminal inquiry which revealed misuse of such vehicles in a recent murder case.
The officials were compelled to act after a police investigation into the killing of Indore resident Raja Raghuvanshi found that he, his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi, and three accused persons had hired private two-wheelers in Shillong to go to Sohra to carry out the crime. The case brought to focus the increasing concern regarding indiscriminate vehicle rental practices in the state.
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In a June 13 public notice, Transport Commissioner David D. Sangma made it clear that Meghalaya has not implemented any government-approved rent-a-bike or rent-a-cab schemes. Nobody or no organization is legally qualified to provide rental services for private vehicles, therefore. He clarified that providing such services is a breach of state and national transport laws.
Referring to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, Sangma clarified that Section 66 prohibits commercial use of private cars without a proper permit. Further, he noted that for the contraveners, it states penalties or imprisonment in Section 192A and that Section 207 gives powers to authorities to impound vehicles used in contravention of permit rules.
The notice explicitly threatened that anyone who participated in running or advertising illegal rental businesses would endure severe legal penalties, such as fines, imprisonment, and confiscation of vehicles. Authorities emphasized that the crackdown aims to protect public safety and maintain adherence to the law. The action has elicited increased fear in locations such as Keating Road, where anecdotal evidence indicates that illegal two-wheeler rental activities are ongoing. The authorities are likely to intensify crackdowns in such locations over the next few days.
