Vehicle licence, RC book to be just a click away

GANDHINAGAR: One month from now, and the long wait for receiving a motor vehicle licence or the registration certificate (RC) book for a new vehicle from the regional transport offices (RTOs) of four major cities in the state will become a thing of the past.

Gujarat government is set to introduce a software that would help individuals track online the progress of their applications for motor vehicle licence or RC book. Once approved, the software will be introduced at the RTOs of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot.

"The tracking would be done in the same way as one tracks the dispatch of passport after one applies for it at the passport office," a senior official said.

The software, which has been prepared by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), is being tested in the state road commissioner's office in Gandhinagar. NIC helps state governments prepare e-governance software for a transparent system of governance.

Currently, it takes two to six months for an individual to receive licence or RC. The new system will generate the date on which the licence or the RC is issued and the date on which it was sent by speed post.

"We hope it will end the role of the middlemen who are responsible for the delays," the official said, adding, "We have come to know that in some cases the licence or the RC were delivered only on payment of extra bucks. Lack of computer-savvy staff for generating the licence is the usual explanation for delays".

Daily, about 800 licences and 700 RCs are issued in Ahmedabad. The numbers for the rest three cities are approximately 600 licences and 500 RCs. "On the first click, one will be able to see approval of the licence or RC book online, and whether it has been dispatched by speed post. A second click would tell whether the speed post has reached the regional post office of the person to whom it is being delivered," the official said.

While the delivery of a licence, on approval, will take between three and seven days, that of the RC might take anywhere between three and four weeks.