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The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has disabled the Vahan portal for dealers across the country, which would imply losses amounting to over thousands of crores in the last two days of March, the apex dealers’ body, Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Associations (FADA), said on Twitter on Monday.
This is despite the dealers working from home amid the nationwide lockdown due to the Coronavirus and following all the guidelines, it added. The Supreme Court on March 27 granted partial relief to automobile manufacturers to sell 10 per cent of unsold BS-IV vehicles within 10 days of the current lockdown getting over, except in Delhi-NCR. The SC had also said that sold BS-IV vehicles before the lockdown should be registered within 10 days of the sale. The stipulated deadline for sale and registration of BS-IV-compliant vehicles or its liquidation remains April 1, 2020.
The Vahan portal is used for registering vehicles. FADA represents over 26,000 dealerships in the country.
“Dear @nitin_gadkari ji. @MORTHIndia today disabled #VahanPortal for dealers across country even though they r working frm home. Home affairs guideline not broken. If portal not opened, Dealers will face 1000’s of cr of loss in last 2 days of March. Ur urgent intervention please,” FADA tweeted late evening on March 30, tagging Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
FADA could not be reached for a comment on this matter.
FADA had filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking an extension in the deadline till May end. BusinessLine had reported on March 25 that BS-4 stock to the tune of seven lakh two-wheelers, 12,000 passenger vehicles and 8,000 commercial vehicles remain unsold at dealerships across India amid the coronavirus pandemic that led to lockdowns and closure of non-essential businesses.
Many people, possibly aggrieved dealers, replied underneath this tweet, expressing their grievances. Rohan Thakur or @rohanthakur80 said that even if they survive the Coronavirus, this situation will kill dealers like him. He tweeted:
“No support is being given to us. We have been paying crores of taxes. BS4 stocks sitting. No support from supreme court..lock down. Salaries..pf.esic gst all on our head.we will survive covid-19 but this will kill us..pls think of our families and the families of our staff..”
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