PUNE: The transfer of vehicle registration certificates (RCs) to new owners has been stalled for the past 15 days across Maharashtra following integration of the RC transfer process with Aadhaar-based name verification. Under the revised system introduced by the ministry of road transport and highways, the name on the Aadhaar card must exactly match with the name recorded on the RC. Even minor variations in spellings, initials or surnames are leading to application failures, leaving thousands of vehicle ownership transfers pending and forcing citizens to make repeated visits to regional transport offices (RTOs).
Buyers and sellers of used vehicles are among the worst affected as ownership transfers cannot be completed till the records match. Earlier, the process relied on Aadhaar-linked OTP authentication, allowing transactions to be completed even if there were minor differences in the way names were recorded. With the new validation system, applicants are now required to first correct their Aadhaar or RC records before proceeding, resulting in delays and inconvenience.
On Tuesday, members of the state transporters’ association submitted a memorandum to the Pune regional transport office, demanding restoration of the earlier OTP-based verification system or relaxation in the name-matching requirement. They argued that the new process is causing unnecessary hardship to vehicle owners and transport operators.
“We are receiving complaints from transporters and vehicle owners every day as RC transfer applications are getting rejected due to minor differences in names on Aadhaar cards and RCs. Such technical issues should not prevent genuine ownership transfers. We have urged the authorities to restore the earlier OTP-based process or provide a practical solution so that pending applications can be cleared without delay,” said Baba Shinde, president of the state transporters’ association.
Confirming the development, Archana Gaikwad, regional transport officer, Pune, said, “We have received the memorandum from the association even earlier and have forwarded their representation to the state transport department for further consideration. We are awaiting directions from the department regarding the issue.”
{{/usCountry}}Confirming the development, Archana Gaikwad, regional transport officer, Pune, said, “We have received the memorandum from the association even earlier and have forwarded their representation to the state transport department for further consideration. We are awaiting directions from the department regarding the issue.”
{{/usCountry}}According to transporters, Pune processes around 1,000 RC transfer applications every day while the number runs into several thousands across Maharashtra making the disruption significant for both vehicle owners and the automobile trade.