RTO clerical staff’s strike to hit driving licence delivery

Pune: Kalyaninagar’s Kuldip Shelar (46) is worried about the renewal of his driving licence because of the indefinite strike of RTOs’ clerical staff from Tuesday.“I contacted someone I know at the RTO (Region Transport Office) about my licence.

He told me about the strike. This will surely delay my licence renewal. I may have to pay a penalty if traffic authorities stop me,” said the private firm employee.More than 1,000 clerical employees across RTOs in Maharashtra decided to go on a strike after talks with senior transport department officials failed on Monday evening. The agitation is expected to disrupt documentation processing, fee collection and issuance of certificates, affecting thousands of citizens.Office-bearers of Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Department Union said the strike would continue until their demands were met. “For nearly four years, clerical staff have been awaiting time-bound promotions. The government has failed to act despite repeated representations, triggering resentment among employees,” a senior union member in Pune said.He said while learner’s licence tests, driving tests and vehicle fitness inspections will continue, documentation related to these services will come to a standstill.

“As a result, people may clear tests but will not receive licences, fitness certificates and other documents,” he said.Officials at the Pune RTO said the strike could lead to a significant backlog of work. “Tests will continue for now, but the lack of documentation processing will create difficulties. Any decision regarding appointments or schedule changes will be taken after assessing the situation. We hope for a resolution soon,” an official said.The strike is expected to affect services such as change of address in registration certificates, name correction, transfer of vehicle ownership, transfer of registration and scrapping of old vehicles.Kondhwa’s Nitin Kamble said the strike had upset his plan to apply for transfer of ownership of his vehicle. “I will have to wait now. The strike will definitely cause inconvenience to many people,” he said.Bhosari’s Aniket Joshi, a student, recently cleared his driving test.

He is anxiously awaiting his licence.“I received a message on Friday last week confirming that I had passed the test and was told another message would be sent once the licence was ready for dispatch. I was hoping to receive it this week, but it seems unlikely now,” he said.Joshi was planning to apply for a passport after receiving his driving licence. “Unless the strike ends soon, my plan will get delayed,” he said.