Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jan 29: Consumer rights activist and president of Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations Prof Narendra Nayak had a harrowing experience when he recently approached the RTO to get his driving licence renewed.
Here's what he says:
"As I am now 65 years of age with my birthday fast approaching, I had to renew my driving licence and as per my usual practice I do it personally.
"The forms were duly filled in and an E token was handed over and I was asked to wait for my photograph to be taken. But, before that, when I handed over the application for verification, I was told that I had to give a stamped self-addressed envelope with Rs 17 worth of stamps. When I asked why that was needed, the reply was that the licence would be sent by registered post.
"That set my consumer activist antenna tingling. Because, I was aware that most of the applicants prefer to collect the valuable document themselves, being afraid that it would be delayed or lost in the post. But, everyone had to hand over this envelope when submitting the application. I refused point blank and told them that I would not submit such a thing, because, I would the collect the document in person. At this the lady at the desk wrote on my application in red ink - 'stamped envelop not submitted'. So, after all it was not compulsory to do so, though the same had been specified on a board just behind the receptionist desk.
"Coming to the receptionist at the desk, he was missing at around 11 am itself. After waiting for a good 15 minutes he turned up. It appeared that he had gone to do some favour for a friend/customer. When I handed over my documents he condescended to sign on the counterfoil of the receipt for the payment of the fees. When I queried as to when the licence would be ready, he refused to commit, and when I pointed out the board behind him which said that all who submitted documents were supposed to take an acknowledgement indicating the date when it would be ready, he asked me to go to his supervisor Hemavathi.
"When I asked the same question to Hemavathi, she said it was the case workers' duty to do that. At this, I lost my patience, raised my voice and asked what they meant by shunting me from one to the other, for which she replied that the document will be ready after 30 days at least but without specifying how long it would take at the most. She also wrote the same on the acknowledgement," Prof Nayak narrated.
He has also submitted an RTI query seeking the number of stamped envelopes submitted at the RTO by people applying for or seeking renewal of driving licences.
"What interested me was the number of people who submit their applications with a stamped envelope and then collect the licence in person. If on an average two hundred were to submit applications each day and say only 10% of them are sent the document by registered post, I was just wondering what happens to the stamped envelopes submitted by the other 180? The amount would come to several thousands per day and I am sure that there are no accounts for the unused envelopes and stamps on them. So, an RTI query has been submitted asking for the details of the same for a week in November last year," he says.
"As it is, appointments in the RTO are the first choices for government servants as these postings are supposed to be very 'remunerative'. It looks like this stamped envelope submission racket seems to be one such, though the amounts involved seem to be peanuts for such lucrative postings," he adds.