The Union transport ministry on Sunday extended the validity of motor vehicle documents such as driving licence (DL), registration certificate (RC) and permits till March 31, 2021, in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) had earlier issued advisories dated March 30, 2020, June 9, 2020 and August 24, 2020 in connection with the extension of the validity of documents related to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.

“The Union ministry of road transport and highways has extended the validity of vehicular documents such as DLs, RCs, permits etc till March 31, 2021 in the light of the need to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The ministry has issued a directory to the states and Union Territory administrations in the regard,” a MoRTH statement said.

Earlier through various notifications, it was advised that the validity of fitness, permit (all types), licence, registration or any other concerned document(s) may be treated to be valid till December 31, 2020.

The latest advisory says, “Taking into consideration the need to prevent the spread of Covid-19, it is further advised that the validity of all of the above referred documents may be treated to be valid till March 31, 2021. This covers all documents whose validity has expired since 1st February, 2020 or would expire by March 31, 2021.”

Enforcement authorities are advised to treat such documents as valid till March 31, 2021, the MoRTH said, adding that “this will help out citizens in availing transport related services, while maintaining social distancing”.

“All the states and Union Territories have been requested to implement this advisory in letter and spirit so that the citizens, the transporters and various other organisations which are operating under this difficult time during the Covid-19 pandemic may not get harassed or face difficulties,” the statement said.

Auto parts concern

Automakers in India are bracing for a parts shortage and possible production losses over the next three to four months because of a global shortage of available shipping containers, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) said.

Shipping freight rates have surged since July and companies are now finding it “almost impossible to sustain normal trade operations”, said Rajesh Menon, director-general at Siam.

A global surge in demand for certain goods during the pandemic has upended normal trade flows, stranding empty cargo containers and leading to bottlenecks. Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk said exports from India have bounced back but imports have not, leading to an imbalance and causing the container shortage. PTI & Reuters

That is a cause for concern as India’s auto industry has started showing signs of recovery after the coronavirus lockdowns eased.