Although the Vahan software glitch causing losses of lakhs of rupees to the government, neither the Motor Vehicles Department nor the National Informatics Centre has taken steps to resolve the issue.
Thiruvananthapuram: A recent vehicle fancy number auction that could have fetched up to ₹1.5 lakh was finalised for just ₹43,000 in Kerala, due to repeated failures of the ‘Vahan’ software while the auction was in progress. As a result, other participants lost the opportunity to raise their bids, and the ‘Vahan’ system confirmed the auction at the lower amount already recorded.
Users say the recurring crashes of the Vahan platform have been an ongoing source of frustration for months. Earlier in December, vehicle registrations had been halted due to another technical glitch.
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The software issue affecting auctions has been occurring for over a month now. Although it is causing losses of lakhs to the government, neither the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) nor the National Informatics Centre (NIC), which provides technical support, has taken steps to resolve the issue.
The problem lies in the fancy number booking system. The auction period runs from 5 pm on Saturday to 10.30 am on Monday. Bidding typically intensifies after 9.30 am, and it is during this time that the ‘Vahan’ system regularly crashes. When users try to increase the bid, the connection is lost, and restoration is delayed. Even after the connection is re-established, participants may not be able to rejoin the auction, and at times the software freezes altogether. Consequently, the auction has to be confirmed at the amount recorded until then.
Changing the auction timing could solve the issue
The issue is attributed to the limited capacity of the software’s technical infrastructure to handle a large number of users. During one or two peak hours starting from 10 am, when office hours begin, the ‘Vahan’ system can crash at any time. It is precisely during this period that the MVD has scheduled the auction to conclude.
It has been pointed out that if the auction were to be closed at a different time, technical failures could be avoided. If the auction were arranged to end by midnight on Sunday or by 9 am on Monday, the software congestion could be reduced. However, the Motor Vehicles Department has not considered this option.
E-challan system also down
Meanwhile, the e-challan system, the online facility for paying fines for traffic violations, has been out of order for over a week. The only response from the Transport Commissionerate has been an assurance that everything will be fixed.
Sufficient time not provided for RC-mobile linking
The Kerala government had made it mandatory in November for vehicle owners to link their mobile numbers to the Registration Certificates (RC) to get a pollution certificate. Since sufficient time was not provided for the same, the subsequent Vahan app update requiring an OTP for the pollution test had put owners in a fix, leading them to seek a grace period to get mobile numbers registered with their vehicle’s RC book.
Published: 30 Dec 2025, 11:13 am IST
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