Garbage disposal on roadside; DTO at fault

SHILLONG: On January 15, 2020 a dark blue Eeco van with the number ML 05J 4983 was caught on camera when its occupants threw a plastic bag containing garbage near the City Hut Dhaba.
On checking the registration number it was found that the vehicle belonged to one Amit Mawri. However, Amit Mawri had sold the vehicle to Maruti True Value on April 12, 2012. The vehicle was subsequently purchased by Shekhar Mallick of Oakland but it is running with the same registration number.
The change of ownership has not been recorded by the District Transport Office (DTO) online. Hence Amit Mawri’s name continues to appear against the registration number. The DTO has to rectify this anomaly because if a vehicle changes ownership and the present owner commits any crime, the onus would fall on the previous owner. Shekhar Mallick has given a self declaration signed by two witnesses that he purchased the vehicle from Maruti True Value in 2012 and has also admitted that his driver actually flung the garbage out of the vehicle on January 15, 2020.