RTA driving licences take weeks to reach

Hyderabad: Applicants are irritated over the long delay in release of driving licences by the state Roads Transport Authority. For many applicants, it takes months for receipt of the licence after they passed the tests.

According to the RTA, once an applicant passes the test on the track, the Smart card driving licence is dispatched to him/her through Speed Post. In 11 days, the card reaches the address of the applicant, it claimed.

However, several applicants insist they have waited for months after they passed the tests. At the Hyderabad RTA office, an average of 3,000 applications are received either for new licence or for renewal, a month.

A resident of Mailardevpally, who passed his driving tests during February, is still awaiting the postal delivery. “I made a few visits to the RTA, but they are saying it is still in process,” he said.

An agent who takes up the RTA job works at the Khairatabad office, said, “There are many cases of such a delay. For some, it takes months. We have learnt from the staff in this office that there is some stationary shortage; and other technical issues too delay the issuing of Smart licence cards.”

Joint transport commissioner Pandurang Naik said, “We are dispatching the licence cards within 11 working days. If any issue of delay due to technical reasons is brought to our notice, we shall immediately resolve it.”