RTA flounders on despatch of documents to motorists in city

Hyderabad: Motorists are facing difficulties as transport documents such as driving licences and registration certificates, which are supposed to be dispatched by the Road Transport Authority (RTA) through speed post, are being delayed due to pending bills of the postal department. For almost two months now, the postal department has stopped delivering the documents.

For various services offered by the transport department, applicants are made to pay Rs 35 as postal charges. However, the outstanding bills owed by the RTA to the postal department have hindered the timely processing and delivery of these important documents.

Telangana Auto and Motor Welfare Union general secretary, M Dayanand, stated that once the applicant submitted their request for the document, the process was initiated, and the cards began to be printed. However, the dispatch of these documents is currently on hold due to the pending bills of the postal department.

Dayanand pointed out that the RTA is required to dispatch documents exclusively via speed post. Over the past two months, numerous applicants have voiced their concerns about not receiving their documents, even after paying for the speed post service. “With each applicant being charged Rs 35 and around 500 applicants per RTA office across 11 RTAs in Greater Hyderabad, it raises a critical question: why is there an outstanding bill with the postal department? Where is all that money going?” he asked.

He stressed the importance of addressing delays in the payment process, stating, “When applicants are making payments, it is crucial for the administration to resolve any issues to ensure the transport services operate smoothly.”

Many applicants said that though they are collecting Rs 35 for speed post of key documents such as smart cards, DLs, and RCs, they are not dispatching the documents. Mahmood Hussain, a Bandlaguda resident, shared his experience: “I registered my vehicle in the first week of October at the Bandlaguda RTA, and I am still waiting for my vehicle registration certificate.”

Moreover, numerous applicants across different RTA offices have highlighted significant corruption issues. K Venkatesh, a resident of Rajendranagar, shared his experience at the Attapur RTA office, where a middleman offered to expedite his card for a fee of Rs 500, claiming he could secure it within a day or two. However, when Venkatesh approached RTA staff for clarification, he was informed that the card had already been dispatched.

Delivering key documents through speed post was made mandatory by the government in 2008 to ensure that no fake addresses are used and to prevent the documents from falling into the wrong hands.