SRINAGAR: Automobile dealers in Jammu and Kashmir have urged the Transport Department to introduce a “One UT, One Trade Certificate” mechanism to allow dealerships operating at multiple locations to function under a single certificate, subject to regulatory requirements.
The issue was raised by members of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), Kashmir, during a meeting with J&K Transport Commissioner Vishesh Mahajan.
Dealers said the existing requirements create practical and compliance-related difficulties for businesses operating multiple outlets across the Union Territory. They proposed a system similar to GST registration, under which a dealer could have one Trade Certificate with eligible branches or business locations endorsed on it.
FADA members said its national body has already taken up the matter with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), seeking a mechanism for a single Trade Certificate for automobile dealers operating within a state or Union Territory.
The dealers also highlighted the automobile retail sector’s contribution to employment generation and government revenue, stressing that simplifying regulatory compliance would help strengthen the sector and improve the ease of doing business in J&K.
The Transport Commissioner, meanwhile, advised automobile dealers to apply for Trade Certificates at the earliest and made it clear that no automobile business outlet would be permitted to operate without a valid Trade Certificate.
The delegation included representatives of several automobile dealerships in Kashmir, including Jamkash Vehicleades, KY Hyundai, Autowings Toyota, Kashmir Motors, Himalayan Motors, Bajaj, Encash Mahindra, Force Motors and Arise Hyundai.
