A considerable number of purchasers of new vehicles as well as automobile dealers in the City are going through a torrid time as three major RTOs in the City have stopped issuing Registration Certificate (RC) books since two months.

Top level RTO sources blamed the government press which printed the books for not supplying them with the quantity ordered. The result is irate customers taking it out on dealers and the latter helplessly waiting for RTO officials to hand it over to them.

The RTOs that have run out of stock for quite some time are those at Yeshwantpur, Rajajinagar and Jayanagar.

“Yeshwantpur has not issued RC books for nearly 8,000 vehicles, two-wheelers as well as four-wheelers, for a period of 2 months,” said official sources. The matter generated much ire from dealers during a lok adalat where officials gave verbal assurances to set right the matter soon.

The Jayanagar RTO has not issued 2,500 books due to the non-supply of books by the printing press, a top source at this office said. A top official at Rajajinagar RTO gave a similar figure for books not issued and said, “It is a month since we have issued RC books. There have been delays earlier but it is really taking a long while this time.’’

An RTO official who is at the receiving end of the ire from automobile dealers said, “The cost of a car runs into lakhs and all it takes to print a book is a maximum of Rs 50. But the government is not able to do this properly.”

A finance manager at a leading automobile showroom, on condition of anonymity said, “We are definitely facing a delay of 45 to 60 days in receiving the RC books from the RTO.  We are helpless. Nobody can be questioned as it is a government organisation.”

Handwritten RC books were issued some years ago and there was no such supply problem. Printing of books began just a few years ago resulting in undue delays.

“A tax-paid challan is issued to a new vehicle which has a one-month validity. But when the issue of the RC book is delayed beyond that period, then the vehicle rider has a tough time at the hands of the cops on the streets. Unless drastic steps are taken by the Transport Department to rectify the situation, there is no hope,” the finance manager said.

Sales manager at an automobile showroom which gets its vehicles registered at Rajajinagar, Indiranagar, Yelahanka, Devanahalli and Jayanagar RTOs says, “There has been a definite delay on the part of Jayanagar, Yeshwantpur and Rajajinagar in issuing the books and they have given the shortage of government stationery as the reason.

“This is understandable as these RTOs have more number of vehicles coming for registration on a daily basis.” 

Until measures are taken to supply the RC books promptly, those driving new vehicles on the streets cannot do so without fear of being fined by the traffic police.