RTO office undergoes massive makeover

NAGPUR: Few months ago, if you had visited the Regional Transport Office (RTO) at Amravati Road, you must have witnessed encroachments of tables and chairs, pan kiosks, tea stalls encroached in the parking area outside the office and haphazardly parked vehicles with nobody to give information about offices in three-storey building.
However, with the new RTO Sarjerao Shelke taking over the charge, the entire scenario changed in last four months.The office is now all set to get a complete makeover. Though touts and vendors are still operating on the premises, their encroachments have been removed. Parking of vehicles has been streamlined with new systematically designed display boards about information regarding licences and other work have been installed at many places. Further a map of the three-storey building mentioning which office is located where, has been displayed outside the building.
On Thursday, TOI too found information display boards outside the office, near learning licence centre and new computersied room. Further, a staffer, appointed specially on the information counter, was seen politely asking people to download the forms which are not available at counter and giving information.
Sarjerao Shelke said that with several initiatives to streamline the administrative and operational work at the office, he also plans to install LCD display boards near the information counters and near computerized room for visitors. The administrative building will soon get a new paint, its internal corridors will get recarpeting and all of its sections will become computerized.
Along with initiatives like making e-licence learner test operational in a bid to minimize human interface in the testing and scheme to send licence and RC book at applicant's doorstep, some new initiatives like two hours training on every Tuesday and Fridays for heavy vehicle drivers, screening of road safety films at RTO office and 'dhabas' on the highways for truck and bus drivers have been also organized, Shelke said.
However, when asked about non-availability of free applications forms for learner's licence, permanent licence, fitness certificates, and even for licence renewal from the inquiry counter, another senior RTO official said that to reduce the rush at RTO, they have already launched department's official website and urged people that instead of visiting the office to collect various application forms, they could download it from the website.
Sameer Sathe, who after a five months gap, came for a permanent licence, was surprised to see the change at RTO office. He said, "First I thought it must be a holiday as there was no rush of touts or visitors. I submitted the form as instructed by the official at information and went to other counters and even appeared for the test. It's nice to see the change here."