Hyderabad: At least two lakh motorists are currently driving around Hyderabad without a registration certificate (RC ) or driving licence as the postal department has discontinued home delivery of these key documents since Nov 1. The decision was taken due to transport authorities' failure to clear the postal department's dues that have touched 2 crore over the past three months.
According to the norm, every motorist pays 35 as postal charges while booking slots for various transactions including new vehicle registrations, driving licences, international driving permits, hypothecation, and permits.
And while the RTA, as per the rulebook, is supposed to transfer these funds to the postal department, it has failed to do so lately, sources alleged. In fact, when TOI dug deep into the matter, it found that the RTA, even before it defaulted on the payments, was paying only a portion of this 35 to the post department. "They transfer only 17 per card and an additional 1 for the cover," said an official from the postal department questioning the RTA's rationale behind withholding the charges.
"We typically offer deferred payment options to the departments for most delivery services, collecting charges at the end of a month. However, owing to RTA's inconsistent payment history, we suspended all bookings and service deliveries since Nov 1. Despite RTA continuing to collect fees from applicants, they have defaulted. Now, they claim that the funds will be allocated to us under a special budget. This payment dispute has persisted for the past 18 months," the official from India Post, Telangana circle, added.
Meanwhile, new applicants have been left in a bind. "I arranged an appointment for my daughter's driving licence at Nagole RTA on Nov 2. But I am yet to receive it. When I visited the RTA to enquire about the delay, officials told me that the card was printed and forwarded to the postal counter in Begumpet. However, upon checking with the postal department, I was informed that it was not the appropriate place for card collection and that I should wait for home delivery," said Tirupati Reddy, a resident of Habsiguda.
"The public should not be inconvenienced due to RTA's failure, despite having paid their fees. This situation creates difficulties, especially for motorists travelling across state borders and individuals seeking international driving permits for overseas travel. The transport authorities must issue a white paper regarding the payments made to the postal service over the past year, along with statistics on dispatched cards and outstanding deliveries," said Telangana Auto and Motor Welfare Union general secretary M Dayanand.
When asked about it, joint transport commissioner C Ramesh confirmed that the department has some "pending payments to settle with the postal department". "However, we will soon clear all outstanding amounts. We have already requested the postal department for some time," he said.
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GFX:
Number of cards printed in each RTA office: 400 - 500
Fees paid towards postal charges: Rs 35 per card
Charges paid to RTA for speed post: Rs 17
Delivery times for dispatching cards: 1 week
Arrears pending with postal department: Rs 2 crore
Pendency of cards at RTA offices: Over 2 lakh