Honda 2Wheelers India’s dealership in Tilak Road, Pune – Kothari Honda – has been suspended by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) for flouting rules. The dealership did not comply with the vehicle inspection formalities and a legal notice was sent to the owner of the showroom a few days back. According to the notice, the dealership has flouted the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Kothari Honda allowed numerous customers to take home the vehicle before getting it registered with the RTO. The two-wheelers sold by the dealership even did not carry temporary registration numbers. It is illegal to use any vehicle on the road without registering it on a permanent or a temporary basis. The suspension will be in effect for a month starting March 1. The dealership will not be able to make any major deals during the period. Also, the RTO will keep a close eye on several branches of Kothari Wheels, which is the parent owner of the Kothari Honda.
Deputy regional transport officer Vinod Sagere told Mirror,
“Kothari Wheels has been punished for the second time in less than one year for taking the process of vehicle clearance casually. Without RTO’s go-ahead, if a vehicle tends to get stolen or meets an accident and is not registered, the consumer cannot get insurance. Such vehicles could also be used for criminal purposes and are unsafe for riders. While in this case the onus is on the showroom owner or in-charge, a buyer must also be alert and take home the vehicle only when all the formalities are completed.”
“Some consumers insist the dealers to spare them of all the formalities in order to save up on time and use the vehicle even before they are registered. The motor vehicle law does not allow such a kind of compromise. We request the dealers and buyers to abide by the laws and help themselves from getting into any kind of trouble, which may include a hefty fine and suspension of license for both the seller and buyer,”
Unregistered vehicles are extremely difficult to trace as they do not carry any registration plate. Also, with limited insurance, the customer is always at risk when it comes to unregistered vehicles on the roads. The exact number of such two-wheelers sold every month by Kothari Motors is not known.
A spokesperson from Kothari Wheels said,
“The license has been suspended as there are some issues with the vehicle clearance process. We have received a notice from the transport office asking us to get all the formalities completed to avoid further detention. We will soon get all the pending formalities completed.”
This is not the first time that the license of Kothari Wheels got involved in such illegal acts. Last year, they got booked under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 Section 42. The rule states that motor sellers cannot sell old vehicles to the owners before registering them with RTO on a temporary or a permanent basis.
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