Ranchi: The district transport authorities have decided to crack down on commercial vehicles evading road tax.

DTO Nagendra Paswan said they had prepared a list of 3,400 defaulters and would publish 100-150 names in the media daily as warning.

"Road tax defaulters will basically get 15 days (from the date of list publication) to submit the dues. Else, we will seize the vehicles," Paswan added.

On the duration of default, the DTO said many vehicles hadn't paid road tax for 10-12 years. "Data segregation is on. It will take some time," he said.

Another official in the district transport department said many defaulting vehicles might no longer be with their first owners. "The initial owner may not have transferred the name though because that would require an NOC for which clearing pending taxes is mandatory. Also, if the new owner has paid taxes, it won't show in our records if name is not transferred. Hence, defaulters have been asked to come with ID proof and relevant documents so that records can be rectified, if necessary," he said.

Sunil Chauhan, secretary of Ranchi Goods Transport Association (RGTA), said the department needed to update its own records rather than threatening commercial vehicle owners.

The RGTA, along with Jharkhand Motor Federation, is currently on an indefinite strike that entered its third day on Thursday.

"Many may not have filed their road tax for years, but the 3,000-plus number is suspicious. The department hasn't kept proper records for years too," he said.

Road tax is paid quarterly, half-yearly or annually. Charges depend on the nature of vehicle. It starts from Rs 800 per quarter to around Rs 5,000.