Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

`Assembled' trucks baffle officials

By Suresh Krishnamoorthy

HYDERABAD SEPT. 20. It's not only assembled computers that are available at cheap prices. We have assembled trucks too!

This startling fact came to light, when seven of the 15 LPG tankers seized by authorities turned out to be `assembled' trucks dutifully carrying the `Ashok Leyland' monograms just as assembled computers can have the most popular brand name.

Understandably, these seven tankers were also plying without proper documents. When officials tried to verify with the truck making company about the buyers, the company startled them saying they never manufactured any trucks with the said chassis and engine numbers.

The RTA Special Task Force has now realised that it had stumbled on a major racket involving fake lorries being operated with fake documents. "We have just commenced the investigation. It could well be the tip of an iceberg," an official said. While seven tankers were seized recently, eight more trailers were intercepted and seized on Friday.

Operation of the multi-axle heavy vehicles with fake papers meant evasion of taxes - sales, excise and most important of them all, motor vehicle taxes. More than the tax evasion, the `assembled' vehicles could pose grave threat to other road users since the quality of vehicle is always questionable.

These vehicles, officials disclosed, had fake registrations of Nagaland. An RTA official, Vinod Kumar, who rushed to Nagaland found the tankers were registered on production of No-Objection Certificates (NOC) purportedly issued in Tamil Nadu. These NOCs were also found to be fake. The very same day that they were registered in Nagaland, NOCs were obtained and they were re-registered in A.P. When they were seized, notices were sent to the owners asking them to produce papers, but they could not be delivered, as the addresses were not traceable.

Eight of these heavy trailers were seized in the wee hours of Friday. Such vehicles are not sold to individuals but to registered agencies, mostly defence establishments for carrying heavy machinery like rockets and other equipment. Officials believe that the trailers were fabricated and registered in Nagaland on production of papers belonging to old and scrapped vehicles.

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