All RTO and sub-RTO offices in the State would have fast-track counters where people can avail over 15 different services by spending minimal time in the queue, Transport Minister Jose Thettayil said while talking to the media here on Monday. These services would be ready from June 23.
Apart from saving on time spent for each transaction, this would increase the efficiency of the Motor Vehicles' Department, he said.
Customers would be able to register their vehicles, renew licences, execute paper work for selling vehicles, get duplicates of documents, change their address, renew permits etc., through the counters. They can apply online and take a print out, which can be taken to fast-track counters. This helps ensure data entry and the correctness of each entry. The counters would be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in RTO offices, and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in sub-RTO offices.
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Mr. Thettayil said that plans are afoot to establish an e-payment facility in the department.
This apart, vehicles with national permit would henceforth be able to pay the permit fee (Rs. 15,000) directly to the Central Government. This would be instead of paying composite tax of Rs 5,000 each to different States. The Centre would give the share to each State.
Regarding the acute shortage of passenger boats to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, he said that this is because of the monsoon warning issued by the Port Trust in the case of fibre boats.
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“More steel boats would join the State Water Transport Department fleet in two weeks.” The West Kochi Passengers' Association had demanded the introduction of more boats in the place of the ones withdrawn from service.As of now, only three of the six boats are plying to West Kochi from Ernakulam. Many regular schedules are encountering delays because of this.
City buses
On the KSRTC's delay in beginning city-service buses in Kochi, the Minister said that they would be launched in a phased manner. KSRTC sources said that 30 buses like the Ananthapuri series of buses operating in Thiruvananthapuram are likely to be launched in the first phase. The 20 RTC buses proposed from the city through the Goshree islands are unable to begin service because of the delay in obtaining a court order, he said.