CAG detects 3049 duplicate E&C numbers in RTO

These cases were detected in Baramulla,Srinagar,Budgam,Jammu,Kathua and Udhampur districts of Jammu and Kashmir,it said.

When the CAG pointed out the duplicate engine and chassis number to the State Motor Vehicle Department (SMVD) of September 2011,the department did not correct the mistakes.

The CAG findings are significant as Jammu and Kashmir is battling cross-border terrorism for over past two decades and faces threat of car bombs blasts,experts say.

The recent blast in South Kashmir’s Bijbehra town is an example and the vehicles with duplicate engine and chassis numbers pose a security risk,they said.

Every vehicle engine is marked with an engine number and Chassis number by the factory. The chassis and engine numbers helps in tracking the vehicle make and model.

The chassis and engine numbers are checked by the RTA inspector at the time of registration of the vehicle and so each vehicle should have a unique alphanumeric chassis number and engine number assigned by the manufacturer,the CAG said.

The CAG also pulled up the SMVD for failure to formulate security policy or issue any guidelines to RTOs,ARTOs for protection of hardware and software,by taking preventive measures.

The CAG also detected that security features to prevent forging of registration certificates and driving license issued by the department were not taken by department.

“Our analysis of database of RTO Jammu revealed that in respect of 526 registered vehicles,the user name of the data entry operator was not available in the main data base of VAHAN Software(for registration of vehicles)”.

Absence of this trail indicates that the database has been tampered with by using backend facilities as result of which the system was exposed to the risk of unauthorised access and resultant damage could not ruled out,it said adding that there also was no restriction on login attempts to prevent unauthorised access.