Aadhaar-VAHAN mismatch leaves thousands of vehicles stranded at Maharashtra RTOs: AIMTC

Thousands of vehicle owners and transport operators across Maharashtra are reportedly facing difficulties in completing Transfer of Ownership TO applications on the VAHAN portal because of mismatches between Aadhaar details and vehicle registration records an official statement saidThe issue is particularly affecting cases involving differences in names middle names and PIN codes Transport representatives say the delays are leaving commercial vehicles idle and causing financial losses to operators and businessesBal Malkit Singh Advisor and former President of the All India Motor Transport Congress AIMTC has urged the Maharashtra Transport Department to intervene and resolve the issue at the earliestSingh who is also a former President of the Bombay Goods Transport Association BGTA and an Advisor to the Federation of Bombay Motor Transport Operators FBMTO said citizens should not be required to change accurate Aadhaar details simply to match incorrect information in the VAHAN or Registration Certificate RC recordsHe said errors in government vehicle records should instead be corrected after proper verificationCommercial vehicles bearing the bruntThe transport fraternity has raised concerns that vehicles unable to complete ownership transfers are being kept off the roadFor commercial vehicle operators every day of downtime can mean lost income while expenses such as loan repayments driver wages and other operating costs continueTransport representatives also warned that prolonged delays could affect the movement of goods and place additional pressure on supply chains across the stateProposal for an interim solutionSingh has suggested an interim mechanism to prevent genuine ownership transfer cases from remaining pending for extended periodsUnder the proposal vehicle owners could submit a valid and authenticated eAadhaar along with supporting documents Where necessary an affidavitcumindemnity bond or undertaking could also be acceptedAfter verification the concerned authorities could correct the relevant VAHAN and RC records and allow the Transfer of Ownership process to continueAccording to Singh such a mechanism would provide the Transport Department with a safeguard while reducing difficulties for vehicle ownersCall to review August 14 instructionsSingh has appealed to the Maharashtra Transport Commissioner to convene an urgent meeting with IT officials and RTO authorities to address the issueHe has called for a review or withdrawal of instructions on August 14 2026 particularly where citizens are being asked to alter Aadhaar details to match incorrect VAHAN recordsHe has also sought acceptance of eAadhaar and supporting documents to establish the correct identity of registered ownersDemand for statewide SOPThe transport fraternity has called for a clear statewide Standard Operating Procedure SOP covering name mismatches middlename mismatches and PINcode discrepanciesOther demands include immediate correction of erroneous name address and PINcode details in VAHAN and RC records a timebound online correction mechanism and faster processing of pending Transfer of Ownership applicationsSingh also urged the authorities to facilitate transactions involving vehicles that are currently stranded because of such discrepanciesSingh said the purpose of faceless RTO services is to reduce physical visits to RTO offices limit unnecessary human intervention and make government services more transparent and efficientHe said technical or database discrepancies should not result in large numbers of vehicles being kept off the roadThe transport sector has urged the Maharashtra Transport Commissioner to treat the matter as a priority warning that continued delays could increase financial losses and disrupt the movement of goods across the state