HYDERABAD: The slots for bookings for 56 different kinds of online services, including driving licence, permits, vehicle registration, transfer of ownership, renewals, have reduced to less than half, leading to a delay of weeks, not days. Sources say that though the number of slots has been reduced, the same has not been intimated to the public.
Even though it has been a week since the daily count was reduced, it’s yet to come to the notice of the general public, according to sources.The decision was taken after employees took the matter to the higher-ups, citing the pandemic as an issue. The higher officials responded by instructing the online service provider to limit the daily count. Even within the department, there was no formal communication.
There are 74 RTA offices across 33 districts and 11 in Hyderabad, being visited by thousands. Applicants say that the process is getting delayed by weeks. When they tried applying online, unlike earlier, slots remained unavailable for services. During the normal days and even during the first wave of the pandemic, the number of slots per day remained at three-digits, but they were cut short to two-digits now.
“It was started almost a week back and those who are trying to approach online or in-person to RTAs are left in the lurch. When the vehicle is transferred, the No-objection Certificate (NoC) is valid for 14 days, but due to slot bookings for clearing papers of ownership transfer, which is now getting delayed by weeks, the vehicle owners are suffering. Will the department waive off the penalties incurred during the delay,” asked M Dayanand, General Secretary, Telangana Auto and Motor Welfare Union.
However, the officials claimed that there was no major impact on processing and as it was cut only around 60%. “This was part of a precautionary measure, given the pandemic situation. The individuals, who approach the offices, are putting the employees at risk. We are trying to control the footfall,” stated P Ravinder Kumar, RTO Uppal.