State govt set to issue digitised temporary enrolment numbers for unauthorised totos

Kolkata: The state Transport Department has introduced a new policy to regularise the operation of Totos across the state, announcing that all such vehicles without registration will be issued a digitised Temporary TOTO Enrolment Number (TTEN).

The move, part of a larger drive to bring the mushrooming fleet of Totos under a regulatory framework, aims to curb traffic congestion and ensure safety compliance.

According to the Guideline on Movement and Regulation of Totos issued on October 9, which will come into effect on October 13, every registered and unregistered Toto must be enrolled on a designated online portal by November 30, 2025. Each unregistered Toto owner will be issued TTEN in the form of a QR code containing the owner’s name, address, and area or route of operation.

State Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty, announcing the regularisation drive on Friday, said: “Following the Chief Minister’s instruction, we are going to issue TTENs to every Toto. These vehicles, many of which operate without permits or registration, have led to congestion in several urban areas, including Kolkata. Our main goal is to bring Totos under discipline. For that, we must first identify how many such vehicles are on the road, which will be possible through TTEN.”

The minister added that after the issuance of TTENs, local bodies, police authorities, and Toto unions will meet to finalise area-wise operational plans to ease traffic congestion. He said camps will be set up at RTO offices to help vehicle owners complete the enrolment process.

Transport department officials estimate that Bengal has at least 10 lakh Totos, broadly divided into two categories — locally assembled vehicles without approval from any testing agency, and battery-operated three-wheelers with type approval but without registration. Under the new regulation, each vehicle will be charged Rs 1,000 as an enrolment and operational area authorisation fee for a period of six months, followed by Rs 100 per month from the seventh month. A transaction fee of Rs 40 will be levied for each transaction, and late renewal will attract a Rs 500 penalty. Vehicles found operating without a valid TTEN or operational authorisation will be fined Rs 500 for each instance. The guidelines also target the unauthorised manufacture of Totos. All unauthorised assemblers or producers will be served immediate stop notices. If they fail to comply, their units will be sealed, and FIRs will be lodged by Regional or Additional Regional Transport Officers. Police and transport authorities will jointly act to close down such operations.

Owners of unauthorised or locally assembled Totos have been given two years to either replace their vehicles with approved e-rickshaws or modify them to meet prescribed technical standards. Until then, they will be allowed to operate under TTEN authorisation, subject to periodic renewal. Legally manufactured vehicles operating without registration must register through the VAHAN portal within 90 days, while those manufactured or assembled by unauthorised agencies must be replaced within two years of the notification.