Cocooned on the second floor of the Osia complex, the Margao Regional Transport Office (RTO) may not be as swanky as its newly-renovated Panjim counterpart, but if you overlook the curtailment on movement, you will see a complete shift in gears from the once infamously mismanaged government departments.
However, despite the improvement in efficiency, touts, or agents, continue to flourish.
Strolling along the first floor of the Margao RTO building, you see several handwritten notices, stating, ‘RTO form filling available before 9.30 am and evening,’ with the person’s contact number below.
Wait a minute… isn’t that when the RTO is closed?
On the landing to the third floor, a man sits on the steps amidst piles of forms. He introduces himself as an agent and in response to my query about transferring a vehicle to my name, he says he will help me fill forms.
So he is the one who is busy, while the official RTO staff is not.
“In most people’s minds, there is the perception that the RTO means you will not get your work done without a bribe or some inside help. This is not true,” says Director of Transport Arun Dessai pointing out to the Citizens Charter that says all cases must be dealt with in a matter of seven days.
“There are so many making a living as RTO agents, when there is no real need to go through them,” he says.
Dressed in civil clothes, these agents could easily be mistaken for a visitor to the RTO, but any early bird at the office is preyed upon with the promise to cushion the alleged arduous red tapism that lies within the RTO. Of course, all this for a price. Agents charge Rs 50 to fill a form, but with no guarantees.
Dessai highlights that they have received praise for their promptness too. “I received an email from a senior citizen praising the department for having helped him limit his stay in the office to 20 minutes,” he told Herald Review.
Different in Panjim
The scene at Panjim RTO, at least on the corridors and premises is a lot different. This probably because any suspicious character with more than one application is stopped and questioned. If it turns out to be an agent, he is asked to leave the premises.
Inside the newly-renovated office, uncertain footsteps (mostly due to the loose floor tiles) have been replaced by confident strides. Of course, there is always that line of nervous youngsters answering the computer-generated test for their learner’s license, besides them people queue up to get details and procedures for registering their vehicles, transfer of ownership and renewal of licenses.
This largely serene atmosphere can be attributed to the patient police officials, who calmly inquire about your purpose of visit and direct you to the related counters.
A Maharashtrian man approaches the police asking him about the procedure to procure ownership of a car he recently purchased in the state. After a series of questions, he says, “Bring your election card and any proof that you live in Goa. A lease agreement or a rent payment receipt will work.”
Criticized for being one of the most mismanaged offices in Goa back in the 2000’s the department has recently taken to streamlining its system. A person applying for a Motorcycle Without Gear (MCWG), Motorcycle With Gear (M/CYCL.WG) or a Light Motor Vehicle (LMV), on passing the driving test is given the smart card license on the same day.
“Depending on the number of people, we take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to issue smart cards,” says one staff member.
“I have no issues with the department at all. The way things work around here are much better now,” says one lady as she walks out of the office, with a renewed vehicle license in hand.
But Dessai’s days aren’t always filled with praise.
From his office in Junta House, the director has to personally deal with permits to taxis, taxi drivers and buses, in addition to the administrative decisions.
“In the last four years, three to four people have been at loggerheads with this department, like a bus operator who critises the department if his demands are not met,” says Dessai, adding that as per rules permits are to be issued within three days of receiving applications.
The director sees online as a route to cut out agents.
“I want to reduce the human element, maybe go paperless with no human- client interaction,” he says.
Their first attempt to go hi-tech, with the smart card eight years ago isn’t however doing well. Last week, it was reported that chip reading machines were unavailable.
Dessai admitted that not all the information was on the chip. “Currently, we don’t put in all the data on the card, because we did not feel the need. When we started using smart cards there wasn’t much information to feed,” he said.
Despite the setback, he says plans of taking the RC book to the chip, as well as e-challans when issuing a fine, will be put to practice with pilot projects in the next three to six months.
Review Bureau
