With her two-year-old son clinging on to her, 30-year-old S. Dhanalakshmi of Aynavaram waited patiently in a serpentine queue at the Anna Nagar Regional Transport Office on Friday. She was among the 150-odd women who had come to apply for the Learner’s Licence (LLR) to avail the Amma two-wheeler subsidy scheme for working women.
“My husband said February 5 was the last date to apply for the scheme and one of the main criteria for receiving the bike is a driving licence. Hence, I took leave and came here to apply for the LLR. A scooter will be beneficial for me as it is difficult to go to work on Anna Salai daily by bus,” says Ms. Dhanalakshmi, who works at a private firm.
Like her, women aged between 18 and 40 thronged various RTOs in the city hoping to get an LLR to apply for the subsidised bike scheme before February 5. There were employees of private firms, homemakers, students, government servants and daily wage earners waiting in long queues.
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Names were called out from applications stacked up at the entrance of offices and the respective applicant went inside and submitted the documents after getting them scrutinised by the Motor Vehicle Inspector. “I can download the LLR from a link that will be sent by the Transport Department to my mobile phone,” explains Maheshwari at the Kolathur RTO.
G. Kayalvizhi, a 40-year-old flower vendor from Anna Nagar, was waiting outside the RTO premises. “I came to enquire about the LLR. Officials here told me that it would be impossible to get the two-wheeler as only 10,000 women will benefit in the city. My hopes have been dashed now,” she says.
Meanwhile, RTO officials were having a hard time regulating the crowd. “We have been scrutinising 250 LLR applications from women every day since Monday. Usually, we get only 50, including from men,” said an RTO official in Kolathur.
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Driving schools busy
A.K. Jayaseelan, former general secretary, Tamil Nadu Driving School Owners Federation, says that in the last one week there has been an increase in the number of women seeking help to apply for the LLR online. “We got 150 applicants last week. Usually, the number is 20,” he said.
R. Muralidharan, president of the federation, says the number of enquiries to learn bike riding is also increasing. “But this is not the trend within the city. Mostly, women from the suburbs, especially those in the age group 30-40, are the ones who have been enquiring,” he said.
In her election manifesto, former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had announced the two-wheeler subsidy scheme. Recently, the Corporation said 9,500 working women will be identified under the scheme for purchase of gearless/auto-geared vehicles under 125 CC.
A maximum subsidy of 50% of the cost of the two-wheeler or ₹25,000 whichever is less, will be provided to the beneficiary, who can buy the vehicle of her choice from her own funds or by availing loans.
The Transport Department has decided to work on Saturday owing to the increase in the number of women applicants.