RTA rakes in moolah as cops tighten rules

Hyderabad: Apparently triggered by the massive awareness drive by the traffic police against drivers not possessing valid licence and riding without helmets in the city, the footfall at RTA offices in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts has more than doubled over the past one week.

On Sunday, the RTA authorities contributed their bit by opening offices and catered to the demand of people by working two extra hours and promised to function on all Sundays this month.Until now, citizens used to get away with a penalty for not having a driving license, but thanks to the directions of Supreme Court on road safety, the State government immediately implemented the helmet rule and also ensured that driver had a valid driving

license. According to officials, the 11 RTA offices in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts on an average get about 1,200 applications of learner’s licence and the number has gone up to 2,600 per day making every day hectic for officials in the department.

Joint transport commissioner (JTC) T Raghunath who visited all RTA offices in the city on Sunday said that in Khairatabad alone, there used to be 600 to 700 applications in the form of slot bookings, but only 50 per cent of them used to turn up for the test. “We are working for two extra hours during weekdays and have decided to work on all Sundays, including the second Saturday, in March to clear the rush,” the JTC said.

The SC committee also directed the States and Union Territories to submit action taken reports at the end of every three months (quarter) starting September 1, 2015. The committee was formed on April 22, 2014 by the apex court on the basis of a Public Interest Litigation to measure and monitor the implementation of road safety laws in the country.

Sharing his experience, M Deepak, a software executive from Dr Reddy’s said he had booked a slot for the learner’s licence on Friday and came to Khairatabad RTA office on Sunday. He said officials had made good arrangement as the entire process of getting LLR was over in just one hour. “It is a good facility (for opening up offices even on Sundays) for people like us, who get time only during weekends,” he said.

Another applicant M Sowmya, a B Tech final year student from Narayanamma Engineering College said that she was afraid of being caught by the police and hence had come down to get a learner’s licence. She said the process was simple and hassle-free and she was delighted that she would get her driving licence within a month.

The department recently offered all its services online in order to enable them to fill up their applications online. The JTC said they had increased the counters for speedy transactions of learner’s licence. The number of counters receiving applications at Khairatabad RTA had been increased from two to seven, the JTC said.

On Sunday, as many as 250 applicants turned up at Khairatabad RTA office and took the exam for learner’s licence. “An applicant has to at least get 12 marks to pass the test. It consists of 20 questions, each carrying one mark. We have simplified the test procedure by printing a booklet about the questionnaire. If a candidate reads the booklet, it will be enough for him to cover all important aspects,” the official said.