E-Paper
Renew passport, driving licence via genuine govt sites
As state governments begin to lift the lockdown, albeit cautiously and in stages, and government departments dealing with public services slowly start opening their
As state governments begin to lift the lockdown, albeit cautiously and in stages, and government departments dealing with public services slowly start opening their doors, consumers have many anxious queries and I have been receiving quite a few of them recently.
A senior citizen, for example, says his driving licence has expired and every time he has to take his car out to buy vegetables and fruits, he is worried about the police imposing a fine of ₹5,000 on him. His other worry is that when the regional transport office starts working again, there would be large crowds of people there, and therefore it may not be a safe place for someone like him, since he is part of the most vulnerable category susceptible to contracting Covid-19, as he suffers from diabetes and a heart ailment, besides being a senior citizen.
In fact, from several such queries pertaining to vehicle registration certificates and driving licences, it is apparent that several consumers have not read the circular of March 30, 2020, issued by the union ministry of road transport and highways, extending the validity of all such documents, including driving licences and registration certificates that expired between February 1, 2020, and June 30, 2020.
The circular has been sent to all states and union territories, with a request to implement the advisory. That should answer the queries of consumers with regard to expired driving licences, learners licences and the temporary registration of new vehicles.
As for the worry about exposure to Covid-19 at the RTO, I am sure the RTO will make special arrangements to ensure the safety of those visiting their offices, particularly with respect to maintaining social distance. Many offices dealing with the public are also insisting on everyone wearing a mask, bringing sanitiser and having the Aarogya Setu app on their cellphones.
Besides, these days many RTOs have provisions to apply for the renewal of driving licence online and even making the payment online. One may not be required to visit the RTO at all, or only make a brief visit if necessary.
I must also mention that RTOs in many cities have changed for the better in recent years. In fact, I have noticed that in some RTOs, you get a token indicating your number in the queue and you need to go in only when that number flashes on the screen.
Lastly, I must warn consumers to be extremely careful about fake RTO sites. Remember, the ones run by the government will end with nic.in or gov.in and not org.in or co.in. So do not fall for counterfeits and lose your money.
In fact, the official website of the ministry of external affairs (Consular, Passport and Visa division—Passport Sewa) has issued a warning against fake passport sewa portals and stated that citizens/consumers should not mistake sites that end with .in or .org or .com for the genuine government site. The authentic site for the online submission of an application for passport-related services is www.passportindia.gov.in. Alternatively, one can use the official mobile app mPassportSeva by downloading it from the Android or iOS application stores.
Speaking of passport services, a consumer from Shimla says the passport offices may be open, but going there would be tough in the absence of public transport. Keeping in mind these issues, the MEA has said it has relaxed the restrictions on the number of reschedules allowed for applicants in case they cannot come on the day of their appointment. I would also suggest that consumers send their queries to the official Twitter handle of the passport service: @passportsevamea.
Since there are many consumer queries pertaining to different services vis-à-vis the lockdown , the consumer affairs ministry should act as the nodal ministry, compile all relevant information and make it available for consumers in one place.
