AP: No more queues at RTA offices soon

Chittoor is the third district in the State where people henceforth can apply for their Driving Licence, Vehicle Registration, Transfer of Ownership of Vehicle and Driving Licence renewal and 83 other services from the Road Transport Authority online.All the 83 RTA services have been connected to the online services through analog system designed and implemented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The RTA office in Tirupati covers the entire district. People can upload their information from their home and get all their certificates after making requisite payment through Mee Seva, e-Seva and Common Services Centres (CSC).

“For physical verification, Learner’s Licence Certification test, Driving Licence test and modifications of the vehicles only, people have to visit the RTA office henceforth. Otherwise, there is no need to visit the RTA office,” RTO Gajjela Vivekananda Reddy told Express.

All verifications have been completed and some small errors have to be rectified. Hereafter, people can apply online for RTA services. “Soon we are going to stop the manual system and we are waiting for permission from the State government in this regard,” he said. Due to the RTA initiative of online services, people will stop approaching middlemen.

Because of middlemen, there is corruption in the RTA office. There are 50 to 100 brokerage offices in front of the RTA office. “Already 255 brokerage offices have been shut down in Tirupati. There is a need to educate people to apply online from their home without paying a single paisa extra except the required fee and one can receive their documents at their doorstep through post or courier,” said an RTA official.

Till date, there are 2.6 lakh vehicles in the district and on an average 200 vehicle registrations are done in Tirupati and Tirumala and another 200 from other parts of Chittoor. So far 1.5 lakh Driving Licences are there in the district.

According to an estimate, due to the online system, the RTA revenue is likely to cross `400 crore this fiscal. In 2017-18, the RTA revenue of Chittoor district is `340 crore. The online system may increase the applications from the public hugely. “Online application will bring in transparency and people can track their files online, including approvals, if they have little knowledge and education,” Vivekananda Reddy said.