Spooked By Hefty Fines, Odisha Sees Massive Jump In Driving Licence Applications

Bhubaneswar: Even as Odisha government on Thursday relaxed enforcement of the new traffic rules by 3 more months, people across the State are in a state of panic over the stringent provisions and hefty fines under the new Motor Vehicles Act.

This has resulted in heavy rush at the offices of the Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) since September 1, with people queuing up to get their documents ready in a bid to comply with the revised traffic norms.

Odisha government, which had augmented resources and opened facilitation centres and conducted camps, today reported a drastic jump in the number of new applicants for learner’s licence (LL).

As per the official data, the Transport department received a whopping 9.5 lakh applications for LL during the past three months (September till November).

Senior officials informed that 5.45 lakh learner’s licences were issued during the same period. It is pertinent to mention here that 3.48 lakh learner’s licences were issued during the entire 2018. Over one lakh driving licences have been issued during the past three months by the Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) across the State.

The jump in applications forced the transport department to open up facilitation centres while several camps are being organised in different parts of the State.