Over seven lakh people across Kerala have been affected by a delay in the printing and delivery of the hard copies of their driving licences and vehicle registration certificates (RC). The firm entrusted with the printing of these documents stopped the work in November last year following the failure on the part of the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) to clear dues of around ₹8 crore.
The MVD owes an additional ₹3 crore to the Department of Posts towards delivery charges of the two documents.
The Kochi-based firm stopped printing the driving licences on November 16, 2023, and the RC a week later.
“The curious aspect is that the MVD that collects ₹200 as fee and ₹45 as postal charge for issuing the RC has not handed the money over to the firm. The same is the case with the service charge of ₹120 and postal charge of ₹45 collected for the driving licence. Vehicle owners used to get the RC on the third day until the crisis arose in November. Stakeholders are hoping that K.B. Ganesh Kumar, who assumed charge as Transport Minister in January, will take remedial measures,” said the owner of an automobile consultancy in Kochi.
Many applicants have been frequenting the Regional Transport Offices and the offices of consultants seeking the two documents since they are necessary for the resale of vehicles, fitness test, and applying for permits. Several applicants had surrendered their old documents at their respective RTOs.
A senior MVD official said the State Cabinet was expected to take a call on the issue considering the phenomenal number of people affected. “Many people are also approaching courts. The ₹3 crore owed to the Department of Posts is on account of the memorandum of understanding inked to avail the Book Now, Pay Later [BNPL] scheme. This too ought to be sorted out to bring the process back on track,” the official said.
Soft copy
For now, vehicle owners and drivers could use the soft copy of the two documents, which could be accessed through the DigiLocker storage wallet, he added.
Following a court direction, the MVD had entrusted the Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) with the task of readying the two documents in PVC format, which then entrusted the work to the Kochi-based firm. The MVD opted for the PVC card even as the Centre had insisted on smart card.
The MVD’s functioning had earlier been hit by by the inordinate delay in clearing fuel bills, following which dealers decided to stop supply of fuel to the department’s enforcement vehicles.
