Public Relations Officer (PRO post lies vacant at city Regional Transport Office (RTO) for three years

Pune: It's the same old story at the Pune Regional Transport Office as the applicants are getting stuck for hours even with a software that was supposed to provide them licenses in a jiffy.The authorities had launched Screen Test Aid for Learners' License (STALL) with much fanfare last month and it was hoped that with just a 10 minute test where an applicant has to answer 15 questions, the process would be over quickly.However, with no one to guide them about the test and the entire procedure, candidates are forced to spend more than four hours at the new RTO office near Sangam Bridge trying to figure out what to do.
In the new format, each applicant has to answer 15 questions in the test including descriptive questions and the time allocated for the test is 10 minutes which means that each candidate has to solve one question in 30 seconds approximately. Of the 15, the candidate is required answer at least 12 questions correctly before he/she was granted learners' license.

While the test itself doesn't take much time, it's the procedure before and after the test that's eating up a lot of time.First, it's the document verification where the queue takes hours before the applicant is allowed to pay for fees. Again, the payment process takes another hour before the applicant is allowed to take the test. And then there's one more queue as five out of the 24 STALL systems are either under repairs or maintenance.Vikram Bhide , an applicant said,"It is a tough time facing the tests and the entire process should be streamlined. I had to stand in the queue for an hour to get the documents verified following which I waited for an hour more before I could pay the fess. Thereafter it took me two more hour to appear for the test."" The procedure consumes more than han four hours. Agents are preferred over genuine applicants," Akash Tambade alleged. He agreed the software seemed good but it was taking a lot of time.Activist Datta Ghule said the online slot booking system would help in saving of time for the applicants but the manner in which it was being implemented was questionable.

Deputy Regional Transport Officer Anil Patil attributed the delays to teething troubles. "We introduced the system in June as the number of applicants is less in this season and it will allow us time to streamline. We hope to resolve technical glitches by the end of this week," he said.As many as 3573 applicants appeared for the learners' license test between June 6 to July 15. Of these, 3226 applicants were able to clear the test.