Long wait continues for driving licence, RC applicants in Punjab
Four months ago, Ropar resident Harjeet Singh purchased a second-hand commercial heavy haulage trailer. He had got the transport vehicle refinanced from a bank. He had applied for a Registration Certificate at the Mohali Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Punjab in January. However, even after four months, he is yet to get a printed copy of his RC.
Harjeet Singh, who was anticipating to make money through the commercial transportation of the newly purchased heavy vehicle, is among the 5 lakh people in Punjab who have been waiting for their Driving Licence (DL) and RCs since last December, due to the state government's delay in issuing the documents.
The government landed in a soup after Smart Chip Private Limited, which was entrusted with the printing of driving licences and RCs in chip cards, exited prematurely in November last year.
'I have made umpteen rounds at the RTO office. I am told to go back and wait. I have started paying instalments to the bank, but my trailer continues to be in the parking lot. In the absence of an RC, I am unable to get a national permit for the heavy commercial vehicle,' said Singh, who agrees that many such small transporters like him are on the verge of getting into depression.
'How can anyone pay such heavy instalments with a vehicle waiting to ply on the roads? If we ply them illegally, there is a huge fine if we get caught,' Singh told The Indian Express.
He said not only were the RCs and DLs not printed, but no other work was also being taken up. 'I am waiting to get the hypothecation removed of another vehicle from its RC. However, that too is not being done. Whenever I go there, they tell me that after the Vigilance crackdown on transport officers, the work is pending.'
Daljeet Singh, a cab driver, has also been struggling to get the RC of a car he purchased to ply as a taxi. 'I have not been able to get the RC from RTO in Mohali. I have visited the RTO several times, but to no avail. I cannot take my car to Chandigarh and other places outside the state as I do not have a printed RC,' he said.
He added, 'For other vehicles, I am unable to get a fitness certificate from the RTO. And, no fitness certificate means I cannot get a national permit. My work has stopped. I am frustrated.'
On April 21, the state government told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that there was a pendency of 4.5 lakh RCs and DLs.
A government official told The Indian Express that they had been able to clear this pendency by half after purchasing the chip cards. A traffic expert, Kamal Soi, however, contested the claim of the government. 'There is no change in the pendency. It continues to remain the same. New applications are added every day. Do you know anyone who is getting the DL and RC? No one,' said Soi, who is planning to file a public interest litigation (PIL) in two to three days.
'They do not have a system. I am preparing a case of how the people are harassed, but the government is looking away,' he added.
Meanwhile, a senior government officer said that they were in the process of inviting tenders for the printing of these documents. 'The process will take two to three months. After that, everything will be streamlined,' the officer said. 'We have called employees from other departments on deputation to the transport department. We will assign them duties. Some will man the driving test tracks, others will be printing the documents. We hope that the work will be streamlined,' he added.
The development came after the High Court on April 21 asked why the government is not getting this work done by people on contract, as there was no shortage of unemployed people in the country. The court had ordered the Punjab government to file an affidavit in the matter.
Soi pointed out that the government cannot invite tenders till they get a stay vacated on inviting tenders from the High Court. 'All they have to do is submit to the HC that people are suffering, and the stay should be vacated. But they cannot even do that. They are caught up in a scam. The system is not working,' Soi remarked.
The government has tried to allot the contract twice. Though tenders were floated, the process got mired in litigation after a private company opposed it in the High Court.
In a PIL, Neha Shukla, who is also awaiting her driving licence, told the High Court that the people of Punjab have to wait for months for an RC.
Soi has been demanding that the government award the contract to the Central Government's National Informatics Centre Services Inc (NICSI) so that the backlog is cleared. Since the government asked the company for a security deposit, the matter did not proceed further. 'We do not want any stop-gap arrangement. We will allot the contract to a company now so that the work goes on smoothly.'
In April, the government had put former Vigilance chief S P S Parmar under suspension along with two other officers, including Swarandeep Singh and Harpreet Singh Mander, after the government busted an alleged transport documents racket.
The suspensions were said to be due to their alleged failure to act against corruption in the transport department. However, Mander and Swarandeep were reinstated a few days ago.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Govt plans to roll out 100 electric inter-state buses linking 17 routes to Delhi
New Delhi: Soon, you may travel to Haridwar, Ayodhya, Rishikesh, Meerut and Baghpat in electric buses run by Delhi govt. Plans are in place to roll out 100 electric inter-state buses, which will connect seventeen routes to the national capital. A senior official of Delhi Transport Corporation said that the buses would cover areas between 250 and 300 km from the city. The routes are also likely to include Shimla, Lucknow, Aligarh and Jaipur. The decision was taken during a DTC board meeting on Friday. Transport minister Pankaj Singh said, "These electric buses will strengthen Delhi's connectivity with neighbouring states and will run across 17 identified routes, including several that connect to important religious and pilgrimage destinations." The initiative is part of the govt's "Viksit Sankalp Patra" vision, aligning with the broader goals of Green Delhi, Clean Delhi. These e-buses will be operated by existing DTC drivers, ensuring continuity and efficient utilisation of workforce resources, said govt. The board also presented a plan to enhance DTC's non-fare revenue through advertisements on buses. While the corporation plans to earn Rs 5 crore annually from advertisements, efforts are underway to bring more buses under ad coverage, aiming to multiply advertising revenue significantly. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Singh said, "The e-bus facility will not only improve access to neighbouring areas and pilgrimage hubs but also reduce pollution levels in Delhi." Earlier, DTC ran regular buses to areas in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, UP, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, but began discontinuing services from 2001 onwards as its fleet switched entirely to CNG, which is not easily available in these states, making long-distance travel almost impossible. By 2010, DTC's interstate operations became limited to NCR because, on average, a CNG-run low-floor bus has a range of about 250 km per fill. A DTC official said that most commuters preferred the interstate bus services over buses of other state transport corporations. "Back then, DTC buses connected Delhi to several cities, including Jaipur, Chandigarh, Udaipur, Shimla and Haridwar," he added. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Affordable housing e-draw portal to be linked with Aadhaar to tackle irregularities
Gurgaon: Govt's online portal for drawing of lots in affordable housing schemes will directly cross-check and verify applicant details with information in the Aadhaar card to make the process more transparent and eliminate chances of duplication or manipulation. Officials of the department of town and country planning (DTCP) said on Friday that the updated portal – called TCP Haryana – will fetch applicant details such as name, address and mobile number from the Aadhaar card. This will prevent manual data entry errors and manipulation while ensuring that only eligible candidates are considered for allotments. The move comes in response to irregularities uncovered in the 2023 housing draw of Aster Avenue 36 in Sector 36, Sohna. During the draw of lots for 702 flats at the society, those with addresses given as 'Sohna City' were considered eligible for the scheme, limiting the pool to 2,200 entries out of 51,000 applicants. This was blamed on a technical error. Cross-checking with Aadhaar would do away with chances of such errors, officials said. The Aster Avenue draw was cancelled after an internal probe, and a fresh draw was conducted. But 26 applicants were found to have been repeated in both the shortlists, raising more concerns about fairness and the integrity of the system. "Going forward, the Aadhaar-linked system will automatically populate the applicant's details and verify if they have previously been allotted flats under any affordable housing scheme. If found ineligible, their application will be auto-rejected by the system," said Renuka Singh, senior town planner, DTCP. "All past applicant data from earlier schemes is now being integrated into this upgraded software," Singh said. Additionally, the system will prevent any duplicate entries and ensure that no one can bypass eligibility rules. The new mechanism is expected to significantly reduce the administrative burden and potential biases associated with manual data handling. The Aster Avenue 36 matter is currently pending before the Punjab and Haryana high court, and the next hearing is scheduled for July 9. Applicants who were declared successful in the original draw have yet to receive refunds, while allotment letters for 702 flats drawn in the second round remain on hold because of ongoing legal proceedings. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Indian Express
Long wait continues for driving licence, RC applicants in Punjab
Four months ago, Ropar resident Harjeet Singh purchased a second-hand commercial heavy haulage trailer. He had got the transport vehicle refinanced from a bank. He had applied for a Registration Certificate at the Mohali Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Punjab in January. However, even after four months, he is yet to get a printed copy of his RC. Harjeet Singh, who was anticipating to make money through the commercial transportation of the newly purchased heavy vehicle, is among the 5 lakh people in Punjab who have been waiting for their Driving Licence (DL) and RCs since last December, due to the state government's delay in issuing the documents. The government landed in a soup after Smart Chip Private Limited, which was entrusted with the printing of driving licences and RCs in chip cards, exited prematurely in November last year. 'I have made umpteen rounds at the RTO office. I am told to go back and wait. I have started paying instalments to the bank, but my trailer continues to be in the parking lot. In the absence of an RC, I am unable to get a national permit for the heavy commercial vehicle,' said Singh, who agrees that many such small transporters like him are on the verge of getting into depression. 'How can anyone pay such heavy instalments with a vehicle waiting to ply on the roads? If we ply them illegally, there is a huge fine if we get caught,' Singh told The Indian Express. He said not only were the RCs and DLs not printed, but no other work was also being taken up. 'I am waiting to get the hypothecation removed of another vehicle from its RC. However, that too is not being done. Whenever I go there, they tell me that after the Vigilance crackdown on transport officers, the work is pending.' Daljeet Singh, a cab driver, has also been struggling to get the RC of a car he purchased to ply as a taxi. 'I have not been able to get the RC from RTO in Mohali. I have visited the RTO several times, but to no avail. I cannot take my car to Chandigarh and other places outside the state as I do not have a printed RC,' he said. He added, 'For other vehicles, I am unable to get a fitness certificate from the RTO. And, no fitness certificate means I cannot get a national permit. My work has stopped. I am frustrated.' On April 21, the state government told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that there was a pendency of 4.5 lakh RCs and DLs. A government official told The Indian Express that they had been able to clear this pendency by half after purchasing the chip cards. A traffic expert, Kamal Soi, however, contested the claim of the government. 'There is no change in the pendency. It continues to remain the same. New applications are added every day. Do you know anyone who is getting the DL and RC? No one,' said Soi, who is planning to file a public interest litigation (PIL) in two to three days. 'They do not have a system. I am preparing a case of how the people are harassed, but the government is looking away,' he added. Meanwhile, a senior government officer said that they were in the process of inviting tenders for the printing of these documents. 'The process will take two to three months. After that, everything will be streamlined,' the officer said. 'We have called employees from other departments on deputation to the transport department. We will assign them duties. Some will man the driving test tracks, others will be printing the documents. We hope that the work will be streamlined,' he added. The development came after the High Court on April 21 asked why the government is not getting this work done by people on contract, as there was no shortage of unemployed people in the country. The court had ordered the Punjab government to file an affidavit in the matter. Soi pointed out that the government cannot invite tenders till they get a stay vacated on inviting tenders from the High Court. 'All they have to do is submit to the HC that people are suffering, and the stay should be vacated. But they cannot even do that. They are caught up in a scam. The system is not working,' Soi remarked. The government has tried to allot the contract twice. Though tenders were floated, the process got mired in litigation after a private company opposed it in the High Court. In a PIL, Neha Shukla, who is also awaiting her driving licence, told the High Court that the people of Punjab have to wait for months for an RC. Soi has been demanding that the government award the contract to the Central Government's National Informatics Centre Services Inc (NICSI) so that the backlog is cleared. Since the government asked the company for a security deposit, the matter did not proceed further. 'We do not want any stop-gap arrangement. We will allot the contract to a company now so that the work goes on smoothly.' In April, the government had put former Vigilance chief S P S Parmar under suspension along with two other officers, including Swarandeep Singh and Harpreet Singh Mander, after the government busted an alleged transport documents racket. The suspensions were said to be due to their alleged failure to act against corruption in the transport department. However, Mander and Swarandeep were reinstated a few days ago.
