Delhi govt exempts VLTD annual fee for all public vehicles

New Delhi [India], August 30 : The Delhi Government on Thursday announced the exemption of the annual fee for the Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) for all public vehicles that carry passengers in the national capital on Thursday.
According to an official press release, this decision was followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Delhi Transport Department and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for the VLTD project.
Earlier, vehicle owners were required to pay an annual fee of Rs 1,200 plus 18 per cent GST, amounting to a total of Rs 1,416. The exemption will benefit approximately 1.5 lakh public vehicle owners across Delhi.
Addressing the media, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot stated, "This exemption is a significant step towards easing the financial burden on public vehicle owners while ensuring the safety and security of passengers, especially women and children. By leveraging advanced technology like the VLTD, we are committed to providing safer and more efficient public transportation in Delhi. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Government is committed to implementing world-class safety measures in all public vehicles."
Gahlot further stated that there were about 2,44,312 public vehicles, including autorickshaws, taxis, RTVs, etc., in which people travel as paratransit vehicles.
Kailash Gahlot said that the number of public transport vehicles in Delhi was around 2.5 lakh, out of which the government had already waived the annual fee for vehicle location tracking devices in respect of one lakh auto and taxi drivers.
"Today, about 1.5 lakh and public vehicles have been given this exemption. This is a very big decision. Apart from this, we have ended our contract with the DIMTS. Now, the NIC will see the tracking of these vehicles," he added.
Gahlot also mentioned that even before this, the Kejriwal government had done a lot of work for drivers of autorickshaws, taxi and all paratransit vehicles and passed an order to make the fee for the fitness test certificate of the vehicle from Rs 2500 to Rs 500.
"In 2019, the fitness fee of Rs 200 for auto drivers and the fitness fee of Rs 400 for taxi drivers was removed. Along with this, the late fee was also reduced from Rs 50 to Rs 20. The registration fee was reduced from Rs 1000 to Rs 300. The fee for duplicate RC was reduced from Rs 500 to Rs 150. The fee for 'Transfer of Ownership' was reduced from Rs 500 to Rs 150. The late fee in 'Transfer of Ownership' was reduced from Rs 500 to Rs 100. The fee for hire-purchase addition was reduced from Rs 1500 to Rs 500. The permit renewal fee was also reduced," he said.
The VLTD is an advanced GPS tracking device that is designed specifically for vehicle tracking and monitoring, utilising GPS and IRNSS technology for accurate, real-time location tracking.
This system ensures enhanced vehicle security and is mandatory for all commercial vehicles in India. The device transmits precise location data to the VAAHAN server, facilitating seamless and reliable communication of real-time updates on the vehicle's position.
NIC's state-of-the-art cloud infrastructure and monitoring centres will ensure continuous, real-time tracking of all vehicles equipped with VLTDs, improving overall public safety.