The last two months witnessed a lull in the issuance of vehicle registration certificates (RC) and driving license (DL) because of the paucity of smart cards.
People who have registered their vehicles complained that they are being forced to visit Regional Transport Offices (RTO) offices. Between February and April 10, the 60 RTOs enrolled around 2.1 lakh people seeking vehicle registration and 2.5 lakh for DL. However, they are yet to get their smart cards.
Apparently, the negligence of officials in the E-Governance section has been held responsible for the crisis. There is a demand for more than 4.6 lakh smart cards. , an official in the RTO said. “Purchasing, printing and distribution of smart cards come under the E-Governance Department. It is left to the officials of that department to ensure there is no shortage,” the official added. “Though people pay Rs 137 for RC card and Rs 151 for DL card, the smart cards have not been printed,” the official said.
The most distraught RTOs offices are in Bengaluru since the city sees the highest number of vehicle purchases in the state. There is a shortage of 15,000 cards in Jayanagar RTO while RTOs at Electronics City and Yeshwantpur need 12,000 and 9,000 cards, respectively. Officials at these RTOs have informed the higher-ups about the shortage and sought an immediate supply of cards.
In the last two months, there have been a large number of vehicle registrations, The department has also received good revenue and it has led to higher demand for smart cards.
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