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Ludhiana: RTA’s faceless system marred by glitch, residents suffer
Applicants visiting the office on the inauguration day were told to return home and avail services from the comfort of their homes
What was launched with much fanfare as a “faceless, corruption-free” system for Regional Transport Authority (RTA) services in Ludhiana has turned into a daily struggle for residents, who say they have been unable to submit applications, apply for permits or pay fees for nearly two months due to a persistent software glitch. The crisis began soon after the online system was inaugurated on October 29 this year by Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, accompanied by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who symbolically locked the RTA office and announced that all services would henceforth be provided online.
Applicants visiting the office on the inauguration day were told to return home and avail services from the comfort of their homes. Among them was Inderjit Singh Ricky, who featured prominently in the chief minister’s social media videos during the launch.
Ricky said his “faceless journey” was yet to begin. “I went to the RTA office on the same day. Officers told me that everything was now online and asked me to go home and apply from there. But the portal does not accept the school bus permit application and the fee cannot be paid,” he said, adding that repeated emails and complaints to officials have yielded no result.
“I appeared in the CM’s video the day he locked the office. Today, my work is still pending. The office is locked for us, and the portal is locked too. Where do we go now?” he asked.
Applicants seeking fresh school bus permits say they are the worst hit. Several schools are awaiting permits before the new session, but the online portal reportedly shows technical errors when the category is selected, while the fee payment gateway fails to process transactions.
“We fully support online systems. But this is not faceless governance, this is helpless governance,” a school representative said.
Taranpreet Singh, who has been trying to apply for a new school bus permit for the Jamalpur area, said, “I reached the office on the inauguration day. They told me to go home and use the online system. Two months have passed. I still cannot apply. Who will be responsible if the schools suffer?”
Simranjit Singh from Dolo Kalan village and Manjit Kaur from Sahnewal area shared similar experiences, saying they have made multiple attempts but the system remains non-functional. Many applicants allege that the “faceless” system has ironically created a wall between citizens and officials, with no counter available to even submit a grievance.
District transport officer Kuldeep Bawa admitted that the software has a technical problem. “There is some technical issue. I have already written to the department. The issue will be resolved by Monday,” he said, assuring applicants that their concerns would be addressed.
