Pune: Kuldip Shelar (46), a resident of Kalyaninagar, is anxious about renewing his driving licence due to the indefinite strike by RTO clerical staff that began on Tuesday. "I contacted an acquaintance at the RTO about my licence. He informed me about the strike. This will certainly delay my renewal. If traffic authorities stop me, I might have to pay a penalty," said the private firm employee.
Over 1,000 clerical employees across Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) in Maharashtra decided to strike after talks with senior transport department officials failed on Monday evening. The agitation is expected to disrupt documentation processing, fee collection, and certificate issuance, affecting thousands of citizens.
Union Demands for Promotions
Office-bearers of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Department Union stated that the strike would continue until their demands are met. "For nearly four years, clerical staff have been awaiting time-bound promotions. The government has failed to act despite repeated representations, triggering resentment among employees," a senior union member in Pune said.
He clarified that while learner's licence tests, driving tests, and vehicle fitness inspections will proceed, documentation related to these services will come to a standstill. "As a result, people may clear tests but will not receive licences, fitness certificates, and other documents," he added.
Impact on Services
Officials at the Pune RTO warned that the strike could lead to a significant backlog of work. "Tests will continue for now, but the lack of documentation processing will create difficulties. Any decision regarding appointments or schedule changes will be taken after assessing the situation. We hope for a resolution soon," an official said.
The strike is expected to affect services such as change of address in registration certificates, name correction, transfer of vehicle ownership, transfer of registration, and scrapping of old vehicles.
Citizens Face Inconvenience
Nitin Kamble from Kondhwa said the strike had upset his plan to apply for transfer of ownership of his vehicle. "I will have to wait now. The strike will definitely cause inconvenience to many people," he said.
Aniket Joshi, a student from Bhosari, recently cleared his driving test and is anxiously awaiting his licence. "I received a message on Friday last week confirming that I had passed the test and was told another message would be sent once the licence was ready for dispatch. I was hoping to receive it this week, but it seems unlikely now," he said.
Joshi was planning to apply for a passport after receiving his driving licence. "Unless the strike ends soon, my plan will get delayed," he said.
