Plastic cards may replace smart cards for Andhra Pradesh motorists

VIJAYAWADA: Due to the shortage of smart cards to provide driving licences (DL) and registration certificates (RC), the Transport Department is exploring possibilities of issuing plastic cards with a QR code printed on it.

Officials said that due to various reasons, the smart cards are not being issued to the vehicle users on time. This is causing a lot of problems for them during the surprise checks conducted by the Police and RTA. Instructions were given to the RTOs to purchase the required machinery at the earliest.

A senior RTA official said that at present the department is charging Rs 200 as fee for issuing DL and RC to vehicle users. During the lockdown, there were logistical problems and other issues such as placing chips, which are now being resolved.

However, a section of applicants have expressed their anger stating that they are not getting the cards on time. With this, the department has started exploring possibilities of issuing plastic cards instead of smart cards.

The official said scanning the QR code will provide the details of the vehicular user. It costs around Rs 30-40."We are planning to issue the plastic cards to vehicle users from the DTC office, Vijayawada, on a pilot basis soon. Based on the response, the process will be replicated in the remaining parts of the State," the official said.