Getting driving licences and vehicle registration would soon be a click away in Punjab.
The State Government has paved way for e-licences and online vehicle registration. Now, the applicants will not be required to accelerate towards the officers of registration authority but will be required to personally appear for the driving test.
The new system would not only cut down on the manual work to a great extent, but would also check the duplication of licences.
Shortening the procedure, the State Transport Department has connected with the new versions of the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry’s web portals — Sarathi and Vahan 4.0. The applicants just have to apply online to get driving licences and registration certificates of new vehicles by sitting at the comforts of home.
For the same, the team of National Informatics Centre (NIC) is currently imparting training to the staff of District Transport Office (DTO) and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) to operate the new version of Web Sarathi and Web Vahan 4.0.
“Applicants now don’t have to visit the DTO or SDM offices…All they have to do is to download the required documents from the website to apply for driving licence by adding the photocopy of identity and required medical certificates,” a senior government official told The Pioneer.
The official said that by applying online, the applicant would get a unique number. “On the basis of that number, the applicants will appear for the driving test at the Automated Driving Test Tracks,” added the official.
Under the system, the entire record of vehicles will be made available online across the country. The new system would also prevent the creation of duplicate licences as all the data would be available online.
The new setup has an added advantage. “It would not only simplify the procedure for applying the licences and getting RCs. It will also be of great help for the police to recover the stolen vehicles,” added the official.
“This would provide enough facility to the police to recover a stolen vehicle with this new web version. The new Web version 4.0 will prove to be helpful in finding any vehicle number and its record,” added the official.
“With the introduction of Web 4.0, the manual work would also decrease,” said the official, adding that the manufacturer could only sell the vehicle which have been received by them with engine numbers and chassis numbers.
The registration certificates were issued by after applying in the DTO. Post 2012, the automobile agencies were authorised to issue RC to the manufacturer of the vehicle under Web 1.0 software.
The official said that the system would soon be rolled out and made available for the applicants after the completion of the training of the staff to give it a smooth run.