The South Goa Road & Transport Department purchased an office in the SGPDA Complex for an exorbitant price only to realise that the office was not big enough to house all its counters and departments.
The driving licence and light motor vehicle registrations were shifted to the new office along with tonnes of papers that the RTO stores while everything with Heavy and Commercial vehicles continued to be housed at its old venue, rented premises in Arlem on the market Federation complex.
“If you want to clear a bus, truck or tempo or renew interstate travel permits or get a vehicle passed, we’re forced to go to the RTO, RTA division on the top floor of the old premises which is still in possession of the RTO. The old iron cages at the cash counter to prevent theft, the old broken furniture stacked till the roof and the holes in the roof make this office so spooky at Arlem,” explains Desmond Mattew who frequents the RTO office regularly since he owns a fleet of buses.
While the RTA South, Assistant Director of Transport in-charge of this office Prahlad Dessai speaking to the Herald explains, “We have a host of problems to deal with. Firstly the Market Federation wants our lease renegotiated and the new terms and conditions need to be finalised. Only then we could request a proposal for renovations and repairs of the roof and ceiling. Our purchased office in SGPDA Complex, Fatorda has no room to fit the RTA division and the heavy vehicles division of the RTO and there seems to be no immediate solution to these issues.”
Prahlad, who has just been transferred to this office, completes a year and he says he has a range of issues to handle including disposing the old computers and furniture and dusty old packages which he plans to take up immediately.
The RTO office at Arlem has a massive signage of warning the public of agents and touts dealing with the RTO but the rented premises that belong to the market federation board, Government of Goa, also has on lease three unauthorised agents who approach people and get their done.
