Thiruvananthapuram: With the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) enforcing the directive to install speed governors in all heavy vehicles plying in the State before April 15, forgery of holograms and invoices of the speed governors and tampering of the MVD seal in the gadgets are becoming rampant.

There have been instances of even the speed governor being removed from one heavy vehicle and installed in another vehicle to obtain the Certificate of Fitness (CF) from the MVD. A mechanic of a workshop who dismantled the gadget and installed it in another vehicle was arrested in Attingal recently.

First Information Reports on forgery and tampering have already been filed in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district and Koduvally in Kozhikode districts on the instruction of the respective Regional Transport Officers.

The forgery of the invoice is causing heavy loss to the exchequer, as each invoice brings Sales Tax to the Government. At present, speed governors are available in the range of Rs.12,000 to Rs.13,000. It is estimated that 1.25 lakh heavy vehicles are plying in the State.

Touts who operate around the Regional Transport Offices and workshops are hand in glove with the owners of the heavy vehicles. They charge anything from Rs.3,000 to Rs.5,000 for dismantling the gadget and obtaining the Fitness Certificate, sources said. The hologram on the certificate issued by the dealer with each gadget is removed and affixed to the forged certificate. Along with forged invoice and certificate, the RC book and other papers are submitted to the RTO for getting the fitness certificate. Heavy vehicles have to be produced before the RTO every year for the CF test.

As per the rule, an MVD official should ensure that the speed limit is fixed at 60 km an hour and that the gadget is sealed to prevent tampering. Necessary endorsement has to be made in the Registration Certificate. Sources said the majority of the MVD officials do not bother inspect the gadget and leave the job to the agents. Dealers say since the invoices and certificates of speed governors are being forged, the foolproof mechanism would be to destroy the hologram in the certificate after the inspection by the MVD official. Another option mooted is that the certificates should be retained by the MVD.

"Although incidents of forgery and tampering in the southern districts are less, instances are mainly being reported from Malappuram, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts. We have taken adequate steps to check irregularities and VAT bills are being insisted upon by the department," an MVD official said.

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