Citizens are becoming frustrated with frequent trips to regional transport offices (RTOs) due to delays in obtaining driving licenses and vehicle registration certificates. Despite almost a year having passed, many individuals have not received their documents, leading to several complaints.

The RTO is responsible for sending these documents to the specified addresses of the recipients, but delays result in citizens having to visit the RTO regularly to inquire about their status. Many times they are told that the documents are still with the postal department. When citizens turn to the postal department for answers, they are often referred to the RTO.

In response to these issues, action will be taken against RTO officials and employees under the Right to Public Services Act. Deputy regional transport officer Sanjeev Bhor said the delay in issuing licenses is mainly due to the shortage of smart cards for printing, which has increased the backlog of pending licenses.

The government has awarded the printing contract to MCT Card Technologies, which has started the printing process. However, the previous vendor failed to meet the August 21 deadline due to shortage of smart cards. The new smart cards have been shipped, and completion and shipping of the remaining licenses from the previous vendor is scheduled for the first week of October.