Over 92% DL applications cleared using ‘faceless services’, says govt

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government’s transport department has managed to clear over 92% of driving licence-related applications through “faceless services” since February this year, transport minister Kailash Gahlot said on Wednesday.

Data shared by the minister showed that between February 19 and September 27, the department received 216,835 applications for vehicle-related services, of which 173,165 (80%) were approved. During the same period, the department also received 208,224 DL applications, of which 193,645 (92%) were cleared.

The learner’s DL facility, which was added to the list of faceless services offered on August 7, saw 57,755 applications of which 45,495 (78.77%) received it without stepping out of their homes.

“More than a month ago, it was a huge leap of faith that the Delhi government took in the direction of public service delivery. We acknowledge that there are still challenges that a project of such a large scale are throwing at us, but I assure you that we are constantly striving to make this process seamless, and it is heartening to see other states moving towards faceless service delivery,” said Gahlot, who held a review meeting on Wednesday.

During the meeting, the minister instructed officers to expedite the process of resolving the technical issues, pendency and grievances related to faceless services. He also asked them to ensure that the user experience of transport services be pleasant so that a benchmark in public service delivery is established in the entire country.

To keep track of the faceless system, the transport department has set up three hubs at deputy commissioner’s offices in Dwarka, Sheikh Sarai and Surajmal Vihar. A grievance redressal mechanism has also been set up to address the grievances of the applicants through a central grievance control room at transport headquarters in Civil Lines, in addition to a helpline (1076) and a Whatsapp chatbot (8588820000). People can also visit www.transport.delhi.gov.in for grievances.

The transport department has also further extended the validity of documents related to fitness, permit, DL and registration that expired between February 2020 and September 30, 2021, till November 30.