Number please: The Ford Endeavour used by Anosh Ekka

Ranchi, Dec. 10: Jharkhand is one of those strange states where unregistered vehicles have a free run, thanks to VIPs and goons. Now, the police have decided to act.

From transport minister Anosh Ekka and controversial JMM legislator Jagannath Mahto a host of government officials — and gangsters — everyone use cars without number plates. And law enforcers — for reasons obvious — remain unperturbed by this blatant violation.

Apparently piqued with the transport department’s failure to put brakes on unregistered vehicles, Ranchi deputy commissioner Rajiv Arun Ekka has now decided to seek the help of petrol pumps. They have been asked not to sell fuel for vehicles without proper registrations. In case of violation, the district administration has also threatened legal action against the petrol pumps concerned.

Talking to The Telegraph, the deputy commissioner, however, maintained that the directive was only aimed at “easy and successful distribution of fuel”. But insiders confirmed that this was indeed an effort to cover up the transport department’s miserable performance when it came to checking the movement of vehicles without number plates in the city.

District transport officer Ashok Kumar Banka said the step was being taken to ensure co-operation of petrol pump owners, as “it is not possible for the district administration to keep tabs on each and every vehicle”. He, however, fumbled for an answer when asked how many unregistered vehicles the transport department had seized so far.

A traffic sergeant, requesting anonymity, said that hundreds of vehicles without registration numbers ply in the city every day. “Several ministers and MLAs, including JMM’s Jagannath Mahto, own unregistered vehicles,” he said.

The violators also include several tractors hired by the Ranchi Municipal Corporation and cars used by government officials and their VIP guests. “These vehicles not only lack numbers, but also flout speed norms and traffic rules,” another official said.

Meanwhile, the directive has not gone down well with owners of petrol pumps. They fear inviting the wrath of both VIPs and goons if they deny fuel to unregistered vehicles.

“The order, if implemented, is bound to create law and order problems at our pumps. It is not feasible. Moreover, it is not our duty after all! The government has a separate department for it,” said Ranchi Petroleum Dealers’ Association general secretary Sharad Dudani.