The Maharashtra government is intensifying its efforts to recover unpaid road taxes from BH-series vehicle owners by authorised vehicle seizures during roadside inspections, signaling a strict stance on compliance.
Maharashtra has tightened enforcement against Bharat Series, or BH-series, vehicle owners who miss their road tax deadlines, with Regional Transport Offices now instructed to seize vehicles found to be in default during inspections. Business Today reported that the move follows a state-level transport department meeting in late July, where officials ordered field offices to act more aggressively against unpaid instalments.
The BH scheme was created for people with transferable jobs, including government staff and employees of private firms with offices in at least four states or union territories, so they can move without having to re-register their cars each time they change posting. Unlike standard registrations, however, BH vehicles pay road tax in two-year blocks, and that structure has created compliance gaps. Officials say owners get a seven-day grace period after a tax instalment falls due, but from the eighth day interest of 2% and a penalty of ₹100 a day begin to apply.
The latest crackdown comes as Maharashtra has already been revising vehicle taxation elsewhere in the state. In April 2026, the state amended its Motor Vehicles Tax Law to raise levies on older vehicles and impose higher environmental charges on models with weaker emission standards, according to The Times of India. That wider push suggests transport authorities are trying to boost compliance and revenues across several parts of the vehicle tax system, not just the BH category.
Business Today said Maharashtra had recorded 13,625 BH-series vehicles by mid-December 2022, although officials could not confirm how many were on the road more recently. With enforcement now backed by seizure powers during roadside or depot checks, the message to BH owners is simple: keep instalments current or risk losing the vehicle until dues are cleared.
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