RTOs short of 4.6 lakh smart cards since February

Shortage of smart cards has hit the process of issuing vehicle registration certificates (RC) and driving licence (DL) over the last two months.

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.

“I registered my vehicle in the first week of February. I have got the acknowledgement letter but despite making repeated runs to the RTO office, I have been unable to get the smart card. When asked, the RTO officials said the printing of smart cards has been stalled,” said a vehicle owner.

Rajat from Kamalanagar said it has been three weeks since his vehicle registration process was completed. “Though there is a 15-day deadline to issue the card, I am yet to get mine,” he said.

There is a demand for more than 4.6 lakh smart cards. However, the negligence of officials in the E-Governance section has led to shortage, an official in the RTO said. “Purchasing, printing and distribution of smart cards comes 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.

Shortage in city

The shortage has hit RTO offices in Bengaluru the hardest 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 shortage and sought immediate supply of cards.

“The number of people seeking smart cards has gone up due to high number of vehicle registrations over the last two months. The department has also received good revenue. However, there are no smart cards to give. We try to convince people, complaining about delays everyday,” an RTO official said.