‘No Garage, No Car’ rule in Aizawl

Aizawl: The Mizoram government on 1st November has made it mandatory for its citizens to own a garage to own any type of vehicles. The State Assembly, in 2010, passed the Mizoram Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Rules, 2010 that makes garage mandatory for vehicle owners in Aizawl. After seven years, the government has finally enforced the Rules. A meeting of Traffic Management Committee on July 27, 2016, gave vehicle owners in Aizawl one year to make garage, setting a deadline of October 31, 2017.

An official from AMC said, “We have instructed local councils in all localities within Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) to start inspecting if all vehicle owners in their jurisdictions have garages”

The move aims at decreasing the glaring congestion on roads in the city. An official of Traffic Management Committee said, “Those failing to have a garage during the last one year, will no longer be able to own a car”

Aizawl, a city with a population of 3.5 lakh people, boasts of 1.25 lakh vehicles. Vehicles parked on the roadsides has added extensively to the traffic congestion. “As more and more people are buying vehicles, it is getting extremely difficult to find space for traffic especially in the State capital. With houses located on the slopes of the ridges, citizens have developed the habit of parking their vehicles at night on the roads. This has to stop, and thus the amendment in the motor vehicle rules,” said a State Transport department official.

The police superintendent of Aizawl said that the Rules will apply to vehicles beyond MZ-01-F 7188, because this was the last registration made before passing of the Amendment Rules. “Registration of vehicles after this specific registration number have been approved only after the owners confirmed that they have garage or parking space,” a Traffic police official said. Many citizens have identified the rules to be ‘draconian’ and too harsh to be enforced.