Recruitment drive undertaken by the state transport department will ease staff crunch at 49 Regional Transport Offices across Maharashtra
After years of deep slumber, the state transport department has finally woken up to the need for filling the manpower deficit at the 49 Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across the state.
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Applicants queue up at the Andheri RTO. File pic
Commenting on the recruitment drive, Shailesh Sharma, Principal Secretary (Transport) for Maharashtra, said, “It is a time-consuming process. Currently, police verification and other recruitment procedures are underway.”
While officials said the vacancies would be filled within a month’s time, sources in the department said this is one of the biggest recruitment drives undertaken by the department in recent years.
About 215 posts for Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors (AMVI) are up for grabs. “This is just one-third of the total vacancies for this post.
The total AMVI vacancies stand at 602. So far, the department has filled only 284 posts, and that recruitment drive for those happened years ago,” said an RTO official.
Role of AMVIs
The primary job of an AMVI comprises issuing new driving or learner’s licences to applicants, conduct driving tests and sending results to higher authorities.
AMVIs are also responsible for verifying new vehicles whose chassis, engines and other components have been pre-checked. The official also has the authority to inspect taxis and auto-rickshaws. An AMVI also collects various motor vehicles taxes and assists senior RTO officials in faster clearance of paperwork.
Sources added that the frequency of surprise checks to penalise offenders for flouting motor vehicles norms by flying squads comprising AMVIs have dropped drastically.
These flying squads intercept overloaded trucks, tempos, goods carriers and vehicles with tinted glasses, check fitness of vehicles and look into complaints of refusals by auto and taxi drivers. The squads are also posted at various border check posts for inspection of trucks and trailers entering and exiting the state.