4,000 applicants are waiting for permanent licences
Pune: Technical problems in the Regional Transport Office’s (RTO) new ‘Sarathi 4’ system is delaying the issuance of permanent licences.
City activists have been asking the RTO to provide better service as the government agency is earning crores of rupees from vehicle owners in the city.
Around 3,000 to 4,000 applicants are waiting for their permanent licences for the past three months. These licences cannot be printed due to incorrect data sent by the RTO to the private agency appointed for the purpose. Applicants have already started flocking to the Pune RTO facility, complaining about the delay.
Activist Vivek Velankar said, “The RTO has earned a revenue of Rs 30.14 lakh from April to July. The money is paid by applicants to receive better services from the RTOs, which fail to provide them.”
According to data, Pune RTO has received Rs 30.14 lakh from April to July. In 2016-17 financial year, it received Rs 78.39 lakh and Rs 68.05 lakh in 2015-16 financial year.
“The RTO has become a money-making machine. It is not at all concerned about its infrastructure, premises are stocked with seized vehicles and agents are operating as they are legalised by the government to carry out out their corrupt activities,” said
“The transport commissioner has ordered a check on the agents’ menace, but no action has been taken by any of the officers in this regard,” he said.
Recently, Pravin Gedam, Transport Commissioner, in a letter to all RTOs across the State, said, “The transport office has been receiving several complaints mentioning that unauthorised persons are asking extra charges for any transport-related work at Regional Transport Offices.”
“Citizens are already burdened with a high vehicle tax. Whenever the government wants to increase revenue, it increases the tax. The government doesn’t want to see a smile on citizens’ face,” he said.
Activists have also questioned the road tax collection by the RTO, as civic bodies are already collecting the tax. “There was a one-time tax in 1987-88 for the State. The road is constructed by the municipal corporation, then why is the RTO collecting the road tax?,” asked Velankar.
