KATHMANDU: The Uttar Pradesh Transport Department has launched a crackdown against fake permits used by private buses running on the India-Nepal route.
These buses were found operating with forged documents that appeared to be issued by the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) according to Times of India.
The issue was first flagged by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Lucknow and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Several buses presented permits at the Nepal border which, upon investigation, were found to be fake or issued beyond legal authority.
Fake permits have been confirmed in Aligarh, Baghpat and Maharajganj, where local transport offices denied issuing them. FIRs have been filed and legal steps are underway.
Similar cases were found in Gorakhpur, Etawah and Auraiya, violating the 2014 India-Nepal transport agreement. Action has begun in the Gorakhpur case.
Officials say that middlemen near RTO offices were creating permits for the Nepal route, which is not even required under current rules. Many private bus operators were unaware and ended up paying large sums for fake documents. This cost was passed on to passengers in the form of higher fares.
According to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and the India-Nepal transport agreement, only Form-C permits issued by the embassy or consulate are valid for cross-border travel.
Permits like SR-30 or SR-31 issued at the state level are not legal for international travel.
Some fake permits were created through the VAHAN 4.0 portal by manually entering “Nepal” in the route section. The Transport Department has asked the concerned authority to fix this issue and strengthen the digital permit system according to TOI.
