When she approached the RTO, officials insisted on payment, citing a “pending tax record” in the system.
When contacted, RTO officer Kiran Bidkar admitted the mistake, stating that tax reminders were intended only for BH series vehicle owners, who are required to pay road tax once every two years.“>
The owner of an electric vehicle (EV) in Nagpur was on Wednesday forced to pay road tax and a penalty — despite EVs being exempt under govt policy — after receiving a wrong demand SMS from the Regional Transport Office (RTO). The blunder has sparked concern about the efficiency of transport administration as the country pushes for faster EV adoption.On April 15, Radhika Abhishek Kabra, a resident of Nagpur, received an SMS from the motor vehicle department, warning of pending road tax dues. The message stated that her vehicle bearing registration number MH20FU1355, owed tax dues for November 1, 2021-October 31, 2025 period. “The pending tax amount must be paid immediately. Otherwise, action will be taken to seize the vehicle under Section 12(b) of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Tax Act, 1958,” the SMS warned.Confused by the demand, Kabra contacted her dealer, who confirmed that all transport formalities were duly completed during the vehicle’s purchase. When she approached the RTO, officials insisted on payment, citing a “pending tax record” in the system. “They also warned me that if I failed to pay the tax, my car could be seized anywhere in the city or across the country,” she said.Kabra shared the text message sent by the RTO and the receipt of road tax being paid by the EV owner with TOI. Eventually, on April 16, a receipt was generated, charging her Rs2,400 as road tax and Rs1,152 as a penalty — calculated at Rs300 per year for the supposed delay — even though EVs are currently exempt from road tax under a govt notification valid till March 31, 2025. Subsequently, left with no option, Kabra had to pay the illegal tax charged by the RTO.When contacted, RTO officer Kiran Bidkar admitted the mistake, stating that the tax reminders were intended only for Bharat (BH) series vehicle owners, who are required to pay road tax once every two years. Due to a bulk messaging error by a third-party agency, even EV owners received the notices. “The messaging task was outsourced, and unfortunately, EV owners were wrongly included,” Bidkar said. However, he refused to admit that the department generated any receipt or recovered road tax from any e-vehicle owner.The Nagpur RTO has now promised to issue a clarification and is exploring ways to refund the wrongly collected money. Authorities have also cautioned the agency responsible for the error and initiated an internal review to prevent future lapses.The incident, however, has raised serious questions about India’s vehicle tax administration. With no centralised grievance redressal for such issues, experts fear that many EV owners across the country could have fallen prey to similar mistakes without their knowledge.
Several EV owners have voiced concerns, saying such bureaucratic mishaps undermine the govt’s green mobility push. “Promoting EVs is meaningless if basic protections for owners are not in place,” said Mohit Bhelawe, another EV user. Transport experts warn that unless urgent reforms are undertaken, such mistakes could seriously erode public trust in India’s EV mission.
Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals
Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis.
