Battling staff shortage, RTA to accommodate onerous licensing work of SDM-II office

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, December 28

Already battling with insufficient staff strength, the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) has an onerous task to accommodate the licensing work of non-transport vehicles of the SDM-II office which is attached with the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

Undoubtedly the move would end confusion among applicants, besides bringing in coherency in the working of the SDM and the RTA offices, but it would likely inconvenience people in the beginning.

The RTA office headed by Regional Transport Officer (RTO) here has only three clerks and one steno to handle applicants. Its work load continues to grow with the introduction of new rules.

All RTA secretaries are the licensing and registering authorities along with all the SDMs (excluding the SDM, Headquarters, at the DC office). They are authorised to issue licences for two and four-wheelers (Non-transport vehicles).

After fresh amendments in the norms, all city-based SDMs of Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana would stop exercising the power of licensing authority for non-transport vehicles.

However, the SDMs posted in the rural areas would continue to exercise the same powers for the convenience of the rural populace. Already, the RTA Office has been accepting challans issued by the traffic police against vehicles caught flouting the norms.

Arashdeep Singh Lobana, Regional Transport Officer, said IDs for issuing licences and registering vehicles (through SARATHI portal) had been transferred to his office. Some issues regarding the role assignment, which would delineate jobs to clerks concerned, were yet to be resolved.