the goan I network
MARGAO
What was feared all along has come true. The process of the installation of the High Security Registration Plates (HSRP), beginning from October 1, has virtually left thousands of vehicle owners stranded in unending queues.
What’s worse is that they have been literally left to fend for themselves, with neither transport officials nor representatives of the agency, around to attend to any grievances.
Otherwise, consider this. A visit to the RTO office at Arlem-Margao, the designated office for the replacement of the number plates to HSRP, revealed how vehicle owners have been literally left to fend for themselves. In fact, it’s not uncommon to find a serpentine queue in the narrow RTO passage and a queue of vehicles and owners near a small shed on the ground outside.
The narrow passage plays host to three queues, including one for the senior citizens, ladies and a general one, but the problem does not end there. Instead of three counters to attend to three different groups of vehicle owners, a lone counter manned by a lone staffer is what is put in place by the agency.
That’s not all. The lone staffer deputed by the agency is hard pressed to cope up with the huge workload of issuing receipts and tokens, leaving the vehicle owners literally stranded in the queue for minimum one-and-half to two hours.
Interestingly, RTO officials operating from the Arlem transport office do not entertain any queries, as they wash their hands off on the plea the transport officials have nothing to do with the ongoing HSRP work, pointing fingers at
the agency.
Angry vehicle owners directed their ire at the Transport Department and the government in particular for “abdicating” responsibilities in streamlining the system.
An angry owner questioned why can’t the government or the courts monitor the installation of the HSRP by directing the agency to open additional counters or set up the office in a spacious and conducive environment. “Why cannot the agency open three separate counters for the senior citizens, ladies and the general public for the payment of the fees. How can the government or the agency expect hundreds of vehicle owners to stand in a narrow and crowed passage for hours just to get a receipt and a token”, a lady owner questioned, demanding to know whether the government is hand in gloves with the agency to save the cost on manpower.
When The Goan contacted deputy Director, Transport, South Prakash Kholkar, he sympathized with the hardships being faced by vehicle owners, but expressed inability to intervene given that the work is undertaken by the agency. “In my opinion, there should be separate counters for ladies, senior citizens and the general public. If the passage in the RTO office is getting congested, the exercise should be carried out on the ground floor by making proper arrangements”, Kholkar said.
When The Goan contacted a representative of the Agency, he conceded that the present arrangement is not adequate to meet the requirements. In fact, he said the agency is contemplating to increase the counters to two. When his attention was drawn to the queue of vehicles for the replacement of the number plates, he said the Arlem office is being equipped with 11 fitters, adding that the agency will take a call on deploying additional number plate fitters.
RTO officials in private contended that instead of calling, the system should be such that a vehicle owner, who owns a fleet of two-wheelers and four-wheelers, should have the liberty to pay the fees of all the vehicles at one time, instead of returning to the office every month and standing in the queue for hours. “The agency should immediately increase the number of counters to at least six. The workers engaged in fitting the HSRP should be doubled to meet the requirements and reduce the queues’, the RTO official insisted. THE PROBLEM
AT HAND
A narrow passage plays host to three queues -- one for senior citizens, ladies and a general one
Instead of three counters, a lone counter manned by a lone staffer is set up
The lone staffer is hard pressed to cope up with huge workload of issuing receipts and tokens
Vehicle owners have to waste nearly two hours
