TIRUCHY: The presence of only four motor vehicle inspectors (MVIs) as against the sanctioned strength of 14 in the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) of the district is leading to increasing complaints of a weeks-long wait for applicants to receive their driving licence or to have their vehicles registered.
While the vehicle inspectors themselves mention having raised the need for filling up the vacancies at the earliest, they say little has been done to improve the situation prevailing over the past three years.
Hundreds, including employees of driving schools and vehicle showrooms, visit the three RTO offices — Tiruchy West, East and Srirangam — operating within the city limits as well as the five-unit offices functioning out of the rural areas of Thiruverumbur, Manapparai, Lalgudi, Musiri and Thuraiyur every day for availing of various services. The visitors move for new driving licence, vehicle registration, hypothecation, and fitness certificate, among others.
The availability of only four MVIs and an in-charge inspector for the whole of the offices to process such requests, however, has left the applicants with little choice but to brace for prolonged inconvenience.
That only 2,700 of the 3,500 applications for driving licence received on average at the RTO offices in a month are processed seems to support as a case in point.
Even as the non-availability of inspectors during the scheduled slots is cited as reason for pending applications, it is equally blamed for the irregular night vehicle checks and the lack of timely inspection of vehicles involved in accidents.
A Sarathkumar, a resident of Thillai Nagar, said, “My daughter applied for a permanent driving licence when her learner’s licence expired in January. When we arrived at the Tiruchy West RTO at the given slot for the same, the motor vehicle inspector was learnt to be unavailable. After inquiries, we rescheduled for another day but had to wait for at least two hours for the inspector then too. By then, other applicants with different time slots had also gathered, further delaying the processing of our application.”
On the inconvenience at RTOs, a private car showroom employee said, “Due to the shortage of inspectors, who should otherwise be functioning five days a week, they rarely are found available three days a week. We commit to get customers’ vehicles registered on special dates like their birthday or on auspicious days. However, if the inspector concerned is unavailable at the RTO or takes a holiday on that specific day, we won’t be able to register vehicles for at least a week from then. As a result, we fail to deliver vehicles on time. This worries customers, who then are likely to cancel their vehicle orders.”
Meanwhile, a motor vehicle inspector said the vacancies have forced them to juggle additional responsibilities and work without leave. “If the vacancies are filled, we can handle the workload more efficiently,” the MVI added. A senior transport department official in Tiruchy told TNIE, “We are aware of the shortage for inspectors and have raised the issue with the government. We were informed that recruitments have been made but a case is pending in court against the same. A solution will be provided soon.”