RTO’s online payment gateway hit by tech glitch

Panaji: Online services of the transport department were disrupted across regional transport offices (RTOs) due to a technical snag involving the SBI payment gateway, leaving vehicle owners unable to complete transactions such as tax payments and other fees.Sources said that online payments initiated through the VAHAN portal were failing to process as the required “success” or “failure” confirmation flag was not being transmitted back from the payment gateway. Without this digital confirmation, transactions remained pending or unsuccessful, even after repeated attempts.“Vehicle owners reported that online tax payments were not being cleared even after 45 minutes or more, with no clarity on whether the transaction failed or succeeded. The issue is affecting all users across Goa,” a transport official told TOI.In one case, a motorist who transferred Rs 4 lakh for road tax watched helplessly as the transaction showed “failed” on the treasury system despite his net-banking statement proving otherwise. “He argued with us; however, this issue left RTOs paralysed as we were unable to complete registrations. Even traffic challan payments are pending, and motorists could potentially face penalties through no fault of their own,” the official said.

Department officials were reportedly advised to raise technical tickets, but no immediate resolution was provided. “The disruption impacted all online treasury-linked transport transactions, including vehicle tax and other statutory payments. The issue persisted for over a week, causing inconvenience to vehicle owners and transport operators,” the official said.“We are continuing to work with SBI and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to resolve the technical failure. Until then, routine transport services in the state will continue to be affected,” he added.TOI reported on Feb 5 that the technical glitch in the payment gateway was first noticed on Jan 29 in the real estate sector, affecting property buyers whose transactions worth Rs 1 crore failed to go through.