15,849 vehicles with same chassis, engine number registered in multiple Northeast States: CAG

GUWAHATI

According to the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) latest report tabled in the 126-member Assam Assembly on Thursday, February 19, 2026, around 16,000 vehicles with the same chassis number and engine number are registered in more than one Northeastern State.

A test check of VAHAN database records for Assam and seven other states in the region revealed that 15,849 vehicles bearing identical chassis and engine numbers were registered in two or more states, the report said.

Of these, 12,112 vehicles were registered in Assam without the mandatory no-objection certificate. This accounted for 76% of those vehicles.

In India, a vehicle must always have a unique registration number. A vehicle can be re-registered in a new State after relocation, which cancels the registration in the previous State.

The CAG report flagged “significant deficiencies” in the issuance of transport vehicle permits in eight test-controlled District Transport Offices, with only 26,105 permits (21.87%) issued against 1,19,369 registered vehicles (2019-24).

The report noted with concern the contractual transport permits given to school buses in eight districts of Assam. A contract carriage permit is a license that allows a vehicle to carry passengers for hire as a whole rather than on an individual fee-paying basis.

The CAG said school buses in these areas were issued contract carriage permits instead of Educational Institution Bus (EIB) permits, bypassing mandatory fitness tests. “This is contrary to the purpose of EIB permits, which are specifically designed to ensure enhanced safety standards in school transport,” the report said.

The audit report also highlighted the “exponential” increase in Assam’s vehicle population; this increase has “outstripped” the Department of Transport’s workforce capacity, with vacancies ranging from 30% to 57%.

On the excise front, the CAG has recommended prescribed norms for production of alcohol from grains, taking into account the starch content in these grains and the technology used by distillers for fermentation and distillation.

At the same time, according to a 1918 guideline, he recommended that the Excise Department consider setting norms for the production of beer from grains. The department was asked to amend its rules to include clear, enforceable penalties for microbreweries producing draft beer beyond the 5% v/v (volume per volume) limit, and to establish routine testing and monitoring protocols to ensure compliance with legal strength requirements.

The CAG stated that such norms are necessary due to the possibility of under-reporting of beers produced between 2018-19 and 2023-24. It was pointed out that the actual production of 1,809 lakh bulk liters during this period remained below the expected minimum yield of 2,039.71 lakh bulk liters.