Man loses licence, RTO his records

RTO unable to issue duplicate, says it may have lost original records of pre-1996 licences

Imagine having to go through the rigmarole ufffd driving tests, learner's licence ufffd to obtain a licence after having had one for 30 years! 52-year-old Kondhwa resident, Juzer Haideri might just have to go through the entire ordeal, thanks to the local RTO's inefficiency.

Haideri lost his driving licence in January 2009. Ever since, he has been running from pillar to post trying to get a duplicate licence. The RTO does not have the requisite record of his credentials in order to issue him a duplicate licence. During this process, an RTO official suggested that Haideri procure a new licence. This, when Haideri has had one for nearly 30 years!

Haideri also flatly refused the officer's suggestion to obtain a new licence. "It was difficult for me to accept that I needed to apply for a fresh driving licence ufffd by first obtaining a learner's licence and then giving a test for a two- and a four-wheeler. This was absurd, as I had already done this more than 30 years ago."

Haideri also approached some senior officials in the RTO to find a solution. But, he was unsuccessful. The officials clearly told him that they couldn't find his original records.u00a0

Even though he tried to co-relate the transaction through a receipt number through which licence renewal fees were paid, it wasn't sufficient to track the original record.

"The computerisation of the department took place in 1996. All the documents pre-1996 were on paper and were manually preserved. So it is possible that the RTO has lost some of the records," said Road Transport Officer of Pune region Chandrakant Kharatmal. "We have more than 35 lakh records in our database of which 7.5 lakh is on paper. Regular handling of these papers could lead to damages."

Chandramal Parmar, social activist and road safety crusader said, "This is sheer carelessness on the part of RTO. The concerned staff should be penalised."

(With inputs from Debarati Palit)