Kerala   

Transport Department to be computerised in six months

BANGALORE: One of the last government departments to get computerised in Bangalore, a city known as leader in information technology, is one that should have been among the first to get digitised owing to its large public interface. However, it is never too late, and the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs), independent Assistant RTOs, check-posts, offices of Deputy and Joint Commissioners of Transport and the Transport Department headquarters will be fully computerised within six months.

Computerisation of the department has been on the cards for the last decade. Transport commissioners in the past have declared the goal of complete computerisation, but could not carry it through owing to non-availability of funds. In fact, the department has been one of the highest revenue earners, netting Rs. 1,417.86 crore during 2006-07, and with expenditures of only Rs. 39.82 crore.

With allegations of large-scale corruption in RTO offices, the popular perception is that the vested interests within the bureaucracy deliberately blocked computerisation that would increase transparency. However, computerisation and its benefits will come at a cost to the public. The computerisation project will be taken up on a public-private partnership basis. The project includes data entry of all existing records, installation and maintenance of hardware and software and training to department personnel. The department will issue registration certificates and driving licences on a smart card, but at a fee of Rs. 200.

The new Transport Commissioner, M. Lakshminarayana, is determined to fully computerise the operations of the department. The process will start within 15 days and all offices would be computerised.

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