Hritesh Mohan

Hritesh Mohan, director of the public vehicles department (PVD), met readers of The Telegraph at his office in Beltala to answer their queries. Participants included R.K. Sen, Sandip Banerjee, Md. Kamaruzzaman, Subhomoy Ghosh, Chandrani Ghosh, Saibal Chakrabarty and K. Roychowdhury

Saibal Chakrabarty: What does the PVD deal with?

The PVD functions under the transport department and deals with motor vehicles.

The department has two wings. One deals with public vehicles — four, three and two-wheelers. The other deals with commercial vehicles, like trucks, Matadors and other goods carriers.

We issue registration permits to all vehicles put on the road and issue licences to the persons who will drive them. In a word, we certify the car and the driver.

This Beltala office caters to residents of Calcutta and Salt Lake. For other areas, the regional transport authority (RTA) issues the required documents. We also collect taxes and disburse insurance and allied funds in case of an accident.

We check the fitness of the vehicles and enforce the motor vehicles rules in association with the police.

Saibal Chakrabarty: What are the documents one should keep with him while driving?

The driver should keep with him the up-to-date registration certificate of the car, known as the blue book. He must have the tax clearance receipt, a fitness certificate and the pollution clearance receipt of the car with him to avoid legal hassles while driving.

He must also have a driving licence of the proper category of vehicle — light, medium or heavy. The driver should always carry these five documents when on the road.

R.K Sen: What are the plans for green vehicles like the electric car?

Strictly speaking, the electric cars developed so far do not match the per capita expenditure on conventional vehicles. Still, we offer registrations to such vehicles.

Our emphasis is more on the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG). The LPG technology is easily available and there are filling stations for the fuel.

Chandrani Ghosh: In case a vehicle runs on non-conventional fuel, what is the registration criterion?

The company that manufactures such vehicles has to obtain a certificate from us after we check whether the cars are fit to be put on the road. The buyer has to be furnished with the certificate. On production of that certificate, the car will be registered like any other vehicle.

The West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency is trying to promote the use of such vehicles. We are in touch with experts in the field, as it is a comparatively new technology.

Subhomoy Ghosh: Several private buses ply with their seats ripped or the footboard broken. Often, the roof leaks. How do these vehicles get a fitness certificate?

We are aware of the dilapidated condition of some private buses on the road. In fact, we book nearly 50 to 60 such vehicles a month.

But it is not possible to keep check on every vehicle plying in the city. In case you happen to be on such a bus, take down the number of the vehicle and inform us.

In fact, we are opening a cell with a public relations officer, who will note down passenger grievances. Accordingly, we’ll keep a record of the complaints. When the owner of the vehicle comes to clear its dues, we will inspect the vehicle and only renew its permit if the vehicle has been repaired satisfactorily. Though the process wil take some time, the problem will definitely be redressed. The vehicles that we impound now, too, are given permission to ply on roads only after the owners have rectified the defects.