Tirupati: RTA to allow ownership change offline

Tirupati: Giving a big relief to vehicle owners, transport department launched a special drive for change of ownership of vehicles in offline mode for nine days on Friday. The nine-day facility will continue till March 7. On the initial day, the response was not encouraging even though people have been enquiring of the process with the officials. For the last few years, the department has been implementing online system for all transactions making it a cumbersome task for the second-hand vehicle buyers and others who wish to change the ownership into others' names

To change the ownership online, both the buyer and seller should be present and both their fingerprints are to be scanned. In instances of original owners of the vehicles who sold the vehicle are not available for various reasons, the buyers are facing problems to change the ownership on their names.

The transport authorities received several complaints on these problems and sought alternative mechanism as in most cases the vehicle sellers are either not available or died. In some cases, the vehicles have changed more hands without ownership change. Some financiers have also provided finances to buy such vehicles and seized vehicles when the original buyers have become defaulters. Some traders running second-hand vehicle business also buy many vehicles without change of ownership.

All those facing such problems have become helpless and looking for a solution for long. Keeping in view all the problems and their representations, the transport commissioner has directed the deputy transport commissioners and RTOs (regional transport offices) to change the ownership in offline mode relaxing the online system as one time offer to facilitate vehicle owners complete their work in the prescribed time frame. With this, the persons as well as financiers and second-hand business people can change their vehicles on their names in the given time period so that they can sell those vehicles to anyone later following the online process.

However, except thumb impression, all other documents are required to be submitted to confirm their ownership which will be scrutinises meticulously by the officials.

Tirupati road transport officer K Seetha Rami Reddy said that this is a rare opportunity and will not continued. He requested all vehicle holders to change their ownership to overcome future problems before March 7. They need to approach the department with all necessary documents and proofs and complete the formalities. He said that awareness has been created for the financiers also on the facility.