DR. KAMAL SOI, INTERNATIONAL ROAD SAFETY EXPERT FINDS LOOPHOLES IN PUNJAB GOVT’S ONLINE DRIVING LICENSE FACILITY  

Grave inconveniences and hardships are being caused to people of Punjab due to lapses in implementation of Driving Licenses and Vehicle Registration Certificates by the Transport Department, Punjab. The citizens have to make various rounds of RTO offices as the printing of Driving Licenses and Vehicle Registration Certificates have come to a complete stand still and closed resulting in huge pendency in the state of 2 lakh cards at various RTOs, claimed Dr. Kamal Soi, International Road Safety Expert and Member of National Road Safety Council, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

Citing news reports published in various sections of the Media, Dr Soi claimed that nothing is being done by the Transport Department to redress their grievances. In this regard, news articles published in prominent newspapers are enclosed in evidence that the printing of Driving Licenses and Vehicle Registration Certificates have come to a complete stand still and closed resulting in huge pendency in the State of two lacs cards at various RTOs.

He said that, “ It is a matter of fact that in lot many cases there is huge delay of more than 1 month which is entirely contrary to the terms of the Contract executed by the Transport Department with the Service Provider in terms of which DL/VRC is to be made available within 1 week of application made. The Service Provider has completely failed to provide DL/VRCs on time, resulting in huge inconvenience and hardship to the people of Punjab.

The Transport Department in fact is taking contradictory stands; at times it is saying that the pendency is due to the internet not working, at other times it is saying that the pendency is due to delay in approval or due to smart card chip being unavailable. Whatever may be the case, in view of inordinate delay on the part of M/s. Smart Chip Pvt. Ltd. in providing DL/VRCs to the people of Punjab on time, the Transport Department must have either imposed the applicable penalty or should have cancelled the Contract of such a delinquent service provider.

Instead of giving due regard to the inconvenience and hardship of the people of Punjab, The Transport Department is making every effort to protect the Company (Smart Chip Pvt. Ltd.), who is the service provider, from penalty for delay in making DL/VRCs and cancellation of their contract. It seems that the Transport Department is in connivance and hand-in-glove with the Service Provider which is evident from its conduct.

The Transport Department in fact is taking contradictory stands; at times it is saying that the pendency is due to the internet not working, at other times it is saying that the pendency is due to delay in approval or due to smart card chip being unavailable. Whatever may be the case, in view of inordinate delay on the part of M/s. Smart Chip Pvt. Ltd. in providing DL/VRCs to the people of Punjab on time, the Transport Department must have either imposed the applicable penalty or should have cancelled the Contract of such a delinquent service provider.

In fact, the Company M/s. Smart Chip Pvt. Ltd. is complete failure to provide DL/VRCs not only in Punjab but also in Uttar Pradesh where same company is implementing a similar Project and causing inconvenience and hardship to the people there too. News reports published in various newspapers of Uttar Pradesh were shared as in evidence in the Press Conference , which claimed that the printing of Driving Licenses and Vehicle Registration Certificates in the State of Uttar Pradesh has also come to a complete stand still and closed resulting in huge pendency in the State of more than 2 lacs cards in the State at various RTOs.

He said that, “It is noteworthy that M/s. “Smart Chip Pvt. Ltd.” ) is the same company which is involved in serious litigation with the Transport Department of Government of Punjab in Civil Writ Petition No. 15421 of 2018 whereby the Transport Department cancelled their DL/VRC Contract which was obtained by them by Manipulation of the public procurement process to procure unauthorized and illegal extension of the Project in the State of Punjab at exorbitantly high rates. It is submitted that such a Company is a tainted party against whom serious litigations are pending in the Hon’ble High Court of Punjab & Haryana.

The Company’s Smart Card based DL/VRC extension is also under Challenge before the Hon’ble High Court of Punjab & Haryana in a Public Interest Litigation in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 22805 of 2016 wherein, in compliance of the Hon’ble High Court order dated 06.03.2018, the State itself brought on record the inquiry report which clearly demonstrated that even the Chief Secretary of Punjab State observed that Extension of the DL/RC was illegally granted to M/s Smart Chip for the purposes of favouring them. The DL/VRC project was accordingly cancelled by the State Transport Authority, Government of Punjab in June 2018. There are already number of CAG reports and show-cause notices issued to Smart Chip in this regard by the competent authorities.

The parent company of M/s. Smart Chip has business operations in enemy Countries of Pakistan and China. In view of the fact that Punjab is a border state to Pakistan and is thus highly volatile in view of its porous borders leading to serious regular problems of terrorism and Narcotic substances being faced by the State, allowing such a party to have access of the movements of the vehicles in the State is again a serious security concern to the State besides the Country as a whole.

The officials and employees of such subsidiary have been found involved in corrupt practices in State of U.P. as well where they are implementing DL/VRC project. In this regard, a news article in a reputed national newspaper provides that their officials and employees were found involved in taking money from general public coming up for registration of their vehicles by threatening them and by impersonating themselves as government officials besides forging and interfering in government records. It manifests that the said Company is involved in corrupt practices wherever they are implementing their projects and their credibility is seriously questionable. Copy of the news article is enclosed.