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RTOs to be computerised, uniform tax planned

NEW DELHI: With a view to bringing about major reforms in the road transport sector, the Union Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways has decided to computerise issuance of driving licences and registration certificates of vehicles all over the country. All Road Transport Offices will be inter-connected and there would be a uniform road taxation system.

These decisions were taken at a meeting of the Commissioners, Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of Road Transport of the States and the Union territories here on Saturday.

There was preliminary unanimity over doing away with the large number of check-posts on the National Highways and converting some into single-widow joint check-posts along the inter-state borders. The issue of overloading also came into sharp focus during the meeting.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Union Road Transport and Highways Secretary Brahm Dutt said all driving licences and registration certificates (RCs) would be now issued as smart cards with optical stripe as was being done in Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Orissa, Mizoram and Tripura.

While the exercise is expected to be completed by March 31, 2008, there is no deadline for the older documents which would be converted into smart cards as and when they come for renewal or re-registration, though data would be entered into the computer.

Mr. Dutt said the software for networking would be provided by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). Some States, including Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, had been carrying out this process through software manufactured by private companies but would have to shift to the one given by NIC. A committee under the Transport Commissioner of Tamil Nadu has been formed to monitor progress on this front.

Computerisation of all RTOs and inter-connecting them would cost about Rs.190 crore and would be done once the smart card exercise was completed.

The Ministry also proposes to streamline the road taxation system.

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RTOs to be computerised, uniform tax planned

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