Shillong: Meghalaya’s Transport department is in a state of total collapse. A new audit report covering the period ending March 2024 shows the state lost Rs 166.15 crore in revenue. The money vanished through missed motor vehicle taxes, registration fees, and uncollected fines. Law enforcement failed to collect another Rs 87.94 crore in penalties. Meanwhile, Rs 10.77 crore in weighment fees went missing.
Public safety is at stake. The department bypassed mandatory driving tests and ignored the 30-day waiting period for permanent licenses. Thousands of unqualified drivers now operate on state roads. The report highlights that 11,415 transport vehicles are running with expired permits. Another 12,746 vehicles lack valid fitness certificates. These vehicles violate the Motor Vehicles Act directly.
Technical oversight is non-existent. The VAHAN database contains missing details and entry errors from District Transport Offices. Auditors found 854 vehicles with wrong addresses and 522 vehicles driving without permanent registration. Construction delays on the Automated Inspection and Certification centre further cripple safety efforts. The state currently lacks proper testing grounds.
Department officials blamed a lack of staff and poor infrastructure for the mess. The audit team disagreed. They concluded these “deficiencies” reflect a deep-seated inability to enforce the Motor Vehicles Act. The state now faces a massive safety crisis caused by administrative rot.
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