Kerala has fully switched over to the Transport Mission Mode Project’s flagship uniform pan-India applications Sarathi for driving licence.
Vahan, the Web application developed along with Sarathi for vehicle registration by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), will also be integrated fully in the State by month end.
Technical issues for the integration are being sorted out and the Web application is customised to the needs of the State.
“It will be executed on a pilot basis in Kazhakuttam and later extended across the State after fine-tuning,” Joint Transport Commissioner and Secretary, STA, Rajeev Puthalath told The Hindu .
The feedback from motorists, owners of driving schools and personnel of the Motor Vehicles Department on the rollout of Sarathi is good. “We have been able to bring down crowding in offices, touts and number of visits the motorists have to make to the office for getting the service,” Mr. Rajeev said.
The renewal of driving licence will be made online with the integration of the mobile app with Sarathi for doctors for issuing certificates after the eye test of motorists.
The doctors will be able to login only with their registration ID and fill in the details of the eye test in the prescribed format that comes with the application.
Many benefits
The Joint Transport Commissioner said this will avoid issuance of fake eye test certificates and ensure physical presence of the motorists for eye test.
Under Sarathi, licence renewal, duplicate licence renewal, addition of class, international driving permit, learner’s licence and licence-related fee and charges are covered. Vehicle registration, permit, taxes, fitness and enforcement comes under Vahan.
Allotment of fancy numbers through online bidding, surrender of the RC book of the vehicle being sold to the RTO concerned along with the valid address proof of the buyer, and four-digit registration marks for all vehicles are the key features.
With the switchover to Vahan, multiple visits to the offices of the MVD, extensive paperwork, queues, middlemen, and bribes can be avoided. All vehicle records and driving licence records in the State have been integrated by the NIC into the repository.
