Hyderabad: Lack of gadgets makes smart cards redundant

Hyderabad: The smart card driving licences with chips provided by the Road Transport Authority (RTA) are yet to become operational as the enforcement authority does not have the gadgets to check them.

The RTA charges an additional Rs 200 for smart licence cards, besides Rs 200 for service card and Rs 35 for speed post which is a waste of money as access is yet to be given. 

Driving licences are now being issued in the form of a smart card as against the conventional book model. The licensing authority under the directorate of transport introduced the smart card system on September 19, 2013. The licence would have a pan-Indian design with the same look and feel across the country. Every RTA had been provided with the authority to issue smart card driving licences.

It had security features such as colour patterns, specific design, state-specific logo, hologram and microprocessor to make sure that the card is not replicated. Enforcement agencies can check the authenticity of the card on the spot using readers, which are still not available in Telangana state.

Road safety expert Vinod Kumar Kanumala said, “When there’s no mechanism to access data from the licence or registeration cards (smart cards) what is the use of issuing them? In the name of smart cards the government is simply looting the public. The smart card is not useful until the enforcement authority has the gadgets to access it.’’

Joint transport commissioner (IT wing) C. Ramesh said, “So far, there is no such enforcement gadget to verify the genuineness of the smart card driving licence. The smart cards are generally used to verify the particulars of the owner of the vehicle online.”