The posts of Road Transport Officer (RTO) and Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) in Kandhamal district have been lying vacant for the last one and two years respectively.
The vacancies had not only hampered functioning of the office but also affected revenue collection. Registration of vehicles, issuance of new driving licence and their renewal have come to a standstill, said a clerk, Laxminarayan Sahoo.
The office issued driving licences to 8,558 persons and registered 5,616 vehicles in the last three years yet the collection of revenue fell short by Rs 125.23 lakh in 2011-12. The transport revenue was Rs 269.77 lakh against the target of Rs 395 lakh.
Besides, posts including that of a senior clerk, two junior clerks, a steno, two peons and two constables are also lying vacant for the last two years.
Staff shortage has also hampered regular vehicle checking with rising instances of callous driving even as illegal transport business has allegedly become the order of the day.
Currently, the sub-collector of Phulbani is the in-charge RTO while MVI of Boudh district shoulders the additional charge of the same post here. “As they are not regular, our problems go unheard,” said Bus Owners’ Association secretary Akshaya Kumar Pattnaik. The MVI visits the office only twice a week, he added.
The vehicle owners coming from other parts of the district are also facing difficulties in the absence of a regular RTO and MVI.