Karnataka - Bangalore

Smart card-based DLs and RC books in six months

BANGALORE: In the next six months, the Transport Department promises to issue smart card-based driving licences (DL) and registration certificates (RC) across the State besides completely computerising all the offices of the department, including the check posts.

The computerisation process which the Department had been talking about since a decade will now become reality with the State Cabinet giving a go-ahead to the Department on Thursday. Rose Marta, a consortium led by Indian Telephone Industries, will be awarded the contract to execute computerisation process on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis. The contract will be awarded for 45 years or issue of one crore new DLs, whichever is earlier. A Government Order awarding the contract will be issued shortly.

While the consortium should commence issuing fresh DLs and RCs within six months after getting the contract, nine months’ time will be given to it to digitise the legacy data (old records) of the Department.

However, to convert existing 75 lakh DLs and 65 lakh RCs, the consortium will be given two years’ time. A fee of Rs. 200 each will be charged by the Department to issue smart-card based DLs and RCs.

The consortium will set up the entire infrastructure for the project in all the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) at its own cost and in return will get certain portion of the fee collected by the Department towards issue of DLs and RCs during the contract period. The Department will use Vaahan and Saarathi software specifically developed for it by the National Informatics Centre.

The consortium will computerise all the 56 RTOs/independent Assistant RTOs, 15 border check-posts, five offices of Deputy Commissioners for Transport, two offices of the Joint Commissioners for Transport and the Central Office. Apart from completely digitising the legacy data, the company will connect all these offices to the Central Office through a wide area network.

The much-awaited Government approval will go a long way in bringing in transparency and efficiency in the administration of the Department, said a senior officer of the Department.

Border check-posts, which hitherto had been most sought-after places of posting by inspectors of motor vehicles might no more remain that lucrative as every action will be subject to scrutiny by higher-ups in the Department. Besides, the proposal to set composite check-posts along with the Commercial Taxes Department will further reduce the alleged large-scale corruption in check-posts.

As the history of each and every vehicle will be digitised, it will become easy for the Department to track tax evasions and other revenue-related issues. The Department, which had collected nearly Rs. 1,800 crore revenue during the last fiscal, is expecting to augment revenue collection after computerisation.

Apart from enabling the Department to get all vehicle-related information at the click of a button, the project will also help the police in tracking down stolen vehicles and solve various vehicle-related offences, as the Police Department will be given access to the database. Since smart card DLs will contain the fingerprints of the licensee, tracking of vehicle lifters will become easy for the police department.

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