Flawed RTO process leads to huge permanent D/L backlog

LUCKNOW: A large number of people with learning driving licences are running from pillar to post to get a date for their test so that they can get a permanent driving licence (D/L).

Several permanent driving licence aspirants alleged that due to a flawed process, as many as 27,000 permanent D/L aspirants would not get a test slot for the next three months.

They said the flaw lies in the system at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) here as it issues 450 learning licences daily but gives dates to only 180 people per day for permanent D/L test. As a result there is a huge backlog.

The learning D/L is issued for six months and, during this period, the aspirant has to apply for a permanent licence, which is issued after a test at the RTO office.

If anybody is not able to convert his learning licence into a permanent licence within six months, he has to apply for a learning D/L again.

The permanent D/L aspirants said due to this faulty procedure, more than 27,000 people were waiting to get a date for a test so that they could get a permanent D/L.

Raj Kumar Singh, a resident of Talkatora and a permanent D/L aspirant, said, “My learning licence will expire on April 30 but there is no date for a test available for the next three months. This means that I will have to get a learning licence once again. I have pleaded with the authorities but they expressed their inability to do anything because everything now was software-based.”

An official of the RTO admitted that there was need to improve the system and increase the daily permanent licence tests. “The number of permanent licences issued per day will have to be increased in order to clear the backlog,” he said.

However, ARTO, administration, Akhilesh Dwivedi said, “We have to follow the system as it has reduced the crowd in the RTO office.

The good thing is that people don’t have to waste their time as they only come at a time which is allotted to them. The system is very scientific, but there is always scope of improvement in everything.

So, everyone hopes that there will be some consideration for ending this backlog.”