Concern over use of government vehicles after office hours

From a Correspondent

DHEMAJI, January 3: Very often some government vehicles with desigtion on the car number plates are seen parked in front of shops in the evening. People often ask the question whether government vehicles with desigtion plate be used all the time?

 It is also seen that government vehicles with desigtion plate are parked in front of shops but there is no officer. A senior citizen opined that officials perhaps like to paste such stickers on number plates because it is a prestige issue for them. It is okay if the officials are traveling in the vehicle with such stickers under government duty. But the stickers should not be used when the vehicle is being used by family members or when it is off duty.

Many government organizations take taxis on contract basis and ask the driver to stick the official desigtion on the number plate. But when the contract is over, no one checks if the sticker has been removed. As per the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988 and Central Motor Vehicle Act 1989, nothing except the registration number of the vehicle should be displayed on the number plates of the vehicles and those violating this rule are liable to face punishment. According to the MV Act, government officials or government employees are not allowed to display their desigtions on non-government vehicles. People have urged the Deputy Commissioner  to look into this matter.