Processing fee to be levied on new model of motor vehicles in Punjab

Amritsar, Dec 18: The Punjab cabinet on Thursday gave nod for charging processing fee for the registration of a new model of a motor vehicle or its variants in the state. The cabinet gave approval to amend the Punjab Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, for charging a processing fee of Rs 5,000 from manufacturers of motor vehicles or their authorised dealers, to give approval for the registration of new model of a motor vehicle or its variants or LPG or CNG kit or electric vehicle in Punjab, according to a government statement here.

The decision was taken at a virtual meeting of the cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. The cabinet decided that the transport department would give approval for registration of a new model of motor vehicle, or its variants, in the state to the manufacturers or their authorised dealers.

Currently, no processing fee is being charged from the manufacturers of motor vehicles or their authorised dealers by the Punjab government in respect of the said approval of registration in the state. The neighbouring states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Chandigarh are charging such a fee, it said.

In another decision, the cabinet also approved relevant amendments to the Punjab Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Rules, 1973 in a bid to fulfil one of the conditions imposed by the Centre for obtaining additional borrowing of 2 per cent of the GSDP (Gross state domestic product). It will allow industrialists to maintain different prescribed registers in electronic/digital formats to reduce their compliance burden, in line with the demand of the industries to this effect, it said.

The Centre, in May, had imposed certain conditions obtaining 2 per cent additional borrowing. One of the conditions was to have automatic renewals under the labour laws. The cabinet also decided to revert to the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC for the recruitment of 81 junior engineers in the engineering wing of the Rural Development and Panchayats department.

The state government had earlier taken these posts out of the PPSC purview and engaged the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology [TIET], Patiala, for the purpose of recruitment. In another move, the state cabinet relaxed the upper age limit for contractual employees of various categories working under the Punjab government to apply for the posts to be filled up through direct recruitment.

It was aimed primarily to overcome the hardships being faced by most of the contractual employees working under different departments of the state government as they could not apply against direct recruitment posts due to excess age.