Kochi: The printing of driving licences and registration certificates (RC) has come to a halt in Kerala as the government failed to settle payments owed to the Indian Telephone Industries (ITI). The Department of Motor Vehicles has been charging applicants more than three times the cost of the smart card, yet the cards are not being distributed.
The government is presently in arrears of 5 crore rupees to ITI for the card preparation, leading to the cessation of printing services. Despite applicants being levied fees for smart cards, the government has faced difficulties in settling the printing costs. The situation is exacerbated by additional complications arising from Treasury regulations.
The processing of RCs and licences handled at the Kochi Tevara office for applications from all 86 offices in the state has been affected. License printing was halted on the 16th, followed by RC printing on the 23rd due to the nonpayment of cards. The printing facility, which used to produce 21,000 cards daily, has left 1.5 lakh licences and 90,000 RCs pending.
Meanwhile, the postal department also halted the issuance of RCs and licences due to unpaid postage fees. The finance department sanctioned the required amount recently, offering a glimmer of hope for the resolution of this issue.
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