Why nearly 5 lakh drivers are on Delhi roads without valid papers

NEWDELHI: If your licence has been suspended by the traffic police for speeding or jumping a red light, you are unlikely to get it back immediately after the three-month period fixed by the Supreme Court. The lack of coordination between traffic cops and the Delhi transport department often leads to a delay of another three months, prompting almost five lakh people to drive without a licence on a daily basis.

Rajiv Kakria, who recently went to the Sheikh Sarai motor licensing officer to collect his licence, had a similar experience.I was challaned for exceeding the speed limit and, after three months, was told to return after three months. During this, I am not allowed to drive a car, said Kakria. But many others resort to driving illegally during this additional period. The situation is similar outside all 13 motor licensing offices in the capital.

Many complain that they have to go to the transport department several times just to find out if it has received the licence from the traffic police.

Even during my third visit to the Dwarka authority, I was told that I was yet to receive the licence. On their advice, I went to the traffic police of the Kalyanpuri circle where I was challaned but they couldn’t find my document and told me to return after a month, said Baljeet Singh, a software engineer who stays in Chhawla. Transport officials claim this is nothing unusual.

In 2015, a Supreme Court committee on road safety had recommended the three-month suspension of licence to bring down traffic violations. While traffic cops admit that the rule has reduced the rate of violation by almost 50%, insufficient coordination between the authorities often leaves almost one in every 10 drivers on the road without a licence. The traffic police helpline is flooded every day with complaints from the licence holders awaiting their documents.

According to the traffic police, once a challaning officer has seized a considerable number of licences, these are sent to the relevant motor licensing office by post. However, the process takes more than three months as it takes time to segregate the licences according to the zones. Since the details are noted down manually, a police officer has to scan the counterfoils to mark the zones. The process takes about a month," said an officer.

Transport officials say they start counting the period from the day they receive the document, and not from the day it has been seized. They admit that the manual process takes more time due to lack of coordination.

There is often confusion about the zone of a licence, which results in at least 15% of the seized licences going missing during the process. This delays the matter further as the aggrieved drivers then have to apply for a duplicate licence, said a transport official.

More automation and digitisation may solve this problem, said a senior transport department officer. The entire process, he said, should be digitally monitored through a software to make tracking of licences easy.