Uttar Pradesh cancels 8,322 transport permits in road safety crackdown

Business Standard

6 days ago

In a sweeping enforcement action, the Uttar Pradesh State Transport Department on Friday said it has cancelled over 8,000 transport permits and suspended over 700 for violations ranging from expired validity to breach of statutory conditions.
The move, aimed at tightening compliance and improving road safety, also saw three permits linked to fatal crashes -- each involving four to five deaths -- revoked with a one-year ban on fresh issuance to the operators concerned, it said.
According to an official statement, the decisions were taken at a meeting of the State Transport Authority (STA) held on August 7, where members reviewed permit matters, clean-fuel compliance in the National Capital Region (NCR), school vehicle safety, and the functioning of Accredited Driving Training Centres (ADTCs).
"A total of 8,322 permits were cancelled to ensure strict compliance with age limits, expiry and other statutory conditions... It was decided to suspend 738 permits for 45 days," the statement said.
Notices have been issued to 1,200 permit holders whose permits expired more than seven years ago without renewal, while pending renewal and transfer applications have been disposed of in line with the Motor Vehicles Act provisions, it added.
"These decisions of the State Transport Authority (STA) have been taken keeping road safety, passenger interest, and environmental protection paramount. There will be strict action on rule violations, while service continuity will also be ensured by approving permits on essential routes. All operators are expected to fully comply with legal provisions and permit conditions," Transport Commissioner Brajesh Narain Singh said.
The STA also approved measures to curb vehicular pollution in the NCR, in line with the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) directives. From November 1, 2025, only BS-VI CNG, LNG or electric light, medium, and heavy goods vehicles will be allowed entry into the NCR, while from November 1, 2026, buses entering the region must run on CNG, electricity, or BS-VI diesel. These requirements will be incorporated into permit conditions.
For school vehicles, divisional transport authorities have been directed to strictly enforce fitness and safety norms, with violations leading to action against the vehicle's permit, according to the statement.
The STA also acted against non-compliant ADTCs, cancelling 11 letters of intent where the institutions failed to set up training centres within a year. New centres will only be approved in line with national rules and after verification by authorised testing agencies, it stated.
In a move to improve monitoring, the STA emphasised strict adherence to Rule 103 of the Uttar Pradesh Motor Vehicles Rules, 1998, mandating detailed daily records for each transport vehicle.
It also proposed a NIC-developed online module integrated with VAHAN 4.0 to record vehicle operation details, driver hours, routes, and passenger or goods data accessible to transport authorities for inspection.