Transport Dept gears up for online registration of vehicles

SHILLONG: The Transport Department is in the process of reformatting the entire system of issuing driving licenses to people by going online. This promises to largely reduce the menace of middlemen in the District Transport Office.
Speaking to media persons here on Tuesday, Commissioner and Secretary, Transport department, Israel Ingty said the State Government was the first to launch Vahan and Sarathi which are online software applications for registration of vehicles and issuance of driving license.
“We want to make the payment of driving license online,” he said.
Claiming that he has not come across any instance of middlemen operating at the DTO’s office, Ingty said he would take action against any such middleman if people come forward and file complaints against them.
Responding to a query on vehicles plying within city limits and emitting pollution beyond the permissible limit, Ingty said the department on several occasions has called for tenders for setting up of the pollution testing centre but has not got any response.
However, the Union Government has recently approved the inspection certification centre which would come up in Mawiong and land has been identified for the project.
The official also informed that the Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) which is coming up at Mawiong is 50 per cent complete and the project is expected to be commissioned next year.
The cost of the project is Rs 48 crore of which around Rs 12 crore has been utilised.