Hyderabad: Motorists who failed to renew their driving licence one year after its validity ended are now caught in a difficult situation as the transport department has decided not to renew such licences at all.
As per the new rule, in case the one-year validity period ends, one has to again apply for a learner’s licence by following all the norms laid down by the department for a new permanent licence. Earlier, there was an option to renew the driver’s license any time within the grace period of five years by paying a fine of Rs 1,000 per year.
While the transport department officials have said that the new rule will ensure that motorists don’t violate the rules by driving with an expired driver’s licence, motorists, on the other hand, have raised objections stating that this will have a major impact on drivers, especially those in the transport sector.
In one such case, Irudaya Rajk, an auto driver whose driving licence validity expired on June 30, 2018 was shocked to learn that he will have to once again apply for a learner’s license when he went to the regional transport office recently. Irudaya said, “I was asked to apply for a fresh learner’s licence and again go for the driving test when I went to get license renewed last week. Now, I have to wait for one more month to get a permanent licence after I apply for learner’s licence. The transport department should have at least issued a public notice before implementing this rule.”
Motorists said that the new rule which has been adopted by Telangana transport department from the Centre is just another move to earn more revenue. “The department should have considered thousands of drivers in the transport sector who cannot afford to pay for the learner’s licence and permanent license test again along with the fine amount of Rs 100 per year. The fee for adding every class of vehicle would be around Rs 300. The applicant would have to pay at least Rs 2,000 in such a scenario,” said M Ramanjaneyulu, a cab driver.
Meanwhile,0k P Ravinder, RTO Uppal said, “This new rule was introduced by the Union government to ensure that there is not much gap or delay by the motorists whose license validity has expired. They have to pay the fine and apply for the learner’s licence again.” He added that those applying for the learner’s licence for the first time have to wait for 30 days to go for the test and get a permanent driver’s license but in this case, they can go for the test immediately the next day after they get the learner’s licence.