Maharashtra Regional Transport Offices Resume Operations Across The State

The Maharashtra Regional Transport Office has announced a resumption of operations across 50 offices across the State. The announcement comes after the Transport Commissioner's Office issued a circular on 16 June.

The circular advises that operations at Regional Transport Offices will resume and services including vehicle registration, transfers of ownership of vehicles, issuing licences and issuing of secondary licences will be offered.

All RTOs across the state had temporarily suspended operations after a nationwide lockdown was called for during March this year. The circular from the Transport Commissioner's Office has mandated health and safety requirements, and social distancing in order to content the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

According to the mandate, people visiting any of the 50 Transport Offices will have to make an appointment in advance. An appointment can be booked via the RTO's website, and are limited to a number of visitors each day.

People visiting the RTO for a learner's licence will have to mandatorily maintain a minimum distance of six feet. The computer (monitor, keyboard, mouse, and CPU) used for a learner's test will be sanitised after every use.

Those applying for permanent driver's licence will be allowed to ride or drive test vehicles only after the vehicle has been thoroughly sanitised. The circular also stated that those who have applied for licences before the lockdown would be on the priority list.

In addition, all vehicles that are scheduled for a fitness certification will be tested only after the vehicle in question is sanitised.

The circular also stated that all visitors will have to wear a face mask and hand gloves, and that the local RTO would cater for multiple hand sanitisers to be placed inside the office premises.

The circular also states that quotas will need to be fixed for each job at the Transport Offices, according to the number of officers and staff available in the area.

Thoughts About The Maharashtra RTOs Resuming Operations

This is a great news, especially for the Auto Industry. Regional Transport Offices reopening for business means new vehicles can be registered by dealers now, and that could mean better sales numbers. Having said that, we hope the RTOs know what they're doing. The state has the highest number of cases in the country and reopening a space that is visited by hundreds everyday may not be a wise idea. Bold move Maharashtra.