Motorists suffer as Prakasam RTOs not issuing licences, RCs

ONGOLE: S Srinivas, a second-year B Tech student, got a new two-wheeler from his uncle on his birthday in May. He registered the vehicle and got a learner’s licence from the transport department. Later, he applied for and passed the test to obtain a permanent driver’s licence (DL). However, he has not yet received the vehicle registration certificate (RC) and the DL, and has already been penalised by the authorities three times for not being able to produce the documents.

This is not an isolated incident, as thousands of new vehicle owners and DL applicants in Prakasam district face the same problem. Since the lockdown was lifted, nearly 40,000 new vehicles were bought in the district. But the owners have not yet received RCs, as the district transport department said there is a shortage of RC cards. Due to this, owners of the vehicles face problems when travelling to other districts or States.Adding to their worries is the recent increase in penalties for failing to produce documents such as RC, DL, Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate and vehicle insurance.

Official sources said about 40,000 new vehicles were brought by people in the district after the lockdown. The owners completed the registration process, and about 20,000 of them are awaiting DLs. Those who don’t have RCs and DLs are being fined by the police. The RTOs at Chirala, Darsi and Kandukur have not been issuing RCs.

When asked about this, Deputy Transport Commissioner (DTC) Dr B Krishnaveni said, “Printing of RC cards and DLs was halted due to the lockdown and subsequent issues. The problem will be resolved soon. Though we have a shortage of cards, we sent a few RC cards to vehicle owners by post.”

High fines to pay too

The recent increase in penalties for failing to produce documents — such as RC and DL — has added to the troubles of new vehicle owners