HYDERABAD: The rollout of the Union government’s VAHAN portal in Telangana has faced initial hurdles, with a backlog of nearly 40,000 applications accumulating since its launch on March 23. Transport Commissioner K Ilambarithi described the delays — currently averaging 15 days — as part of a ‘stabilisation phase’ typical of large-scale digital transitions.
Despite the backlog, the Transport department has reported progress in implementing the platform aimed at digitising vehicle-related services. So far, 59,567 temporary registrations have been generated at the dealer level, while 9,282 vehicles have received permanent registration numbers. Additionally, 1,262 fancy numbers have been allotted through the online system.
Officials said the backlog built up as the allotment of fancy numbers and permanent registrations was made available on the portal for approval only a week ago, leading to a pile-up of applications. The commissioner attributed the initial delays to the complexity of migrating from legacy systems to the national platform, which required customisation to suit Telangana’s regulatory framework, particularly for fancy number allocation.
To address the issue, the department has increased processing capacity and introduced workflow changes. Daily clearances have risen from about 1,500 applications initially to around 2,000, with plans to scale up to 5,000 per day. The backlog is being cleared on a first-in, first-out basis and is expected to be resolved within 15 days.
Coordination with stakeholders has also been intensified. A dedicated team from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) has been stationed at the Transport Commissioner’s office to address technical issues, while regular online meetings are being held with automobile dealers and staff to streamline operations.
The VAHAN rollout is designed to complement the already stabilised SARATHI platform, which offers 23 faceless services for driving licences. Once fully operational, VAHAN will extend similar online services for vehicle-related processes, reducing the need for visits to RTO offices.
Private buses under review
The department has identified 140 buses registered in Telangana for critical safety violations, following guidelines from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Officials flagged the absence of proper emergency exits and mandatory safety barriers between the driver’s cabin and passenger seating. Notices are being issued, with a deadline of one to three months for compliance, failing which the vehicles will be removed from the roads.