Hyderabad: Online renewal of driving licences hit by glitches

Hyderabad: There has been a lukewarm response to the online renewal of driving licence facility introduced by the transport department as applicants are facing technical issues and the process is getting delayed inordinately.

In its efforts to go cashless, the transport department had launched all the 56 online services in August 2016. Later, it started the renewal of driving licences through online mode. However, the response has been poor to the online services in view of several technical glitches. The applicants are made to wait as the transaction is getting delayed probably due to low speed and they are made to visit the RTA offices.

According to motorists, the process is getting delayed as they are unable to download certificates. Similarly, the medical certificate is also a cause of concern to the motorists. As per the rules, the driving licence holder needs to provide a medical certificate from a registered practitioner. If the application is not as per the rules, it would be rejected and sent back to the RTO office concerned. A private employee Abdul Samad, who had applied for the renewal, said that his application was rejected because of lack of medical certificate. He said that he went to the RTA office and re-applied physically. The uploading of the pictures and documents is also taking a lot of time, he said.

According to sources, around 2,500 persons have applied for the renewal of their licences online since the launch of facility. Sources said that there were some issues with the medical certificates and their authenticity. The officials are in the process of rectifying the issue and setting right the things in a short time. They said that they were encouraging the motorists to go in for online services. Initially, the problems would be there and based on experiences, the services would be improved, said an official.

Telangana Auto and Motor Welfare Union general secretary M Dayanand said that the authorities started services without any preparation. Faced with technical problems, the motorists are approaching brokers and the very idea of discouraging the brokers is getting defeated, said Dayanand. If the issuance of a driving licence is delayed, who would be responsible for any untoward incident, he asked.

AT A SNAIL'S PACE

• Transport dept launched all the 56 online services in August 2016

•  Uploading of documents is taking a long time, complain licensees

•  The applicants are made to visit the offices and re-apply

•  There is also an issue with submission of medical certificates