The Poonamallee Regional Transport Office is not your regular government office. The newly constructed double-storeyed building housing the Poonamallee RTO stands out from the rest of the government offices in the way transactions are completed in an easy and efficient manner.
The spacious building has cleanliness standards and working procedures comparable to any corporate office.
However, this is not the usual experience of visitors to most government offices. People who visit RTOs complain that they find the office congested with little space to move, lack of information to get things done and, above all, staff who are not friendly.
Smooth operations
People who go to the Poonamallee RTO for various works such as applying for driving licence, renewing driving licence, registration of vehicle, and name transfers and other transactions, find smooth and systematic operations in place.
A spacious reception hall welcomes the visitors, with a receptionist ever ready to help the applicants to the official concerned even as road safety documentaries are played on the television sets for the benefit of the road users.
A senior official of the Poonamallee RTO said that as transport offices were fully online for driving testing skills (Sarathi), vehicle-related work (Pari vahan) and had zero-cash transactions, the receptionist directs applicants to the officials concerned for getting work completed. The receptionist also helps people fill out the applications online.
The spacious first floor allotted for issuing driver’s licences has been equipped with a big television set and a demonstration hall where applicants have to watch road safety awareness videos. The official said soon they would computerise writing tests for issuing learner’s licence.
The well-maintained office has displayed ways and means of filing the online applications for Sarathi as well as Vahan software in front of the counters for helping people go through the rigmarole. Verses of Thiruvalluvar and Kalam are also pasted at prominent places in the offices.
