Car towing halted; 6 months for Male registration

The government has decided to give more time to change registration for vehicles that are illegally registered or registered in other zones, but used in Male.

Transport Minister Mohammed Ameen told reporters on Thursday that he had decided to allow another 6 months to correctly register unregistered vehicles and vehicles registered for other zones instead of towing them, as the government had been doing lately.

Police have recently towed many vehicles registered in other zones and found parked in the city.

The Minister said that illegally registered vehicles will have to be taken to an area designated by the government within 40 days to log them in the right registers.

In addition, the registration of the vehicle must be done by the owner of the vehicle himself, he noted.

"We will set a rule that the vehicle must be removed within six months because it cannot be kept there forever as it is land reserved for other purposes," Ameen said.

Home Minister Ali Ihsan said on Thursday that police have already towed many vehicles registered in other zones and with fake registrations. Vehicles that are not taken to the designated area will also be towed, Ihsan had said.

"The registration of vehicles should be righted within six months. We would like to appreciate and  facilitate safe driving for vehicles that are already registered in accordance with the rules," Ihsan said.

In addition, vehicles parked in nine areas will continue to be towed, he said.

These will include areas near schools, mosques, hospitals and public places, he said.