Saturday, August 22, 2009

How to Apply for Smart Card

I obtained my license for geared 2 wheel and car (LMV) way back in 1999. But during a pickpocket incident in the busy majestic area i lost my plastic card after that i went to the Rajaji nagar RTO to which i was told i have to get the plastic card from tumkur only. However when i went to tumkur RTO again i was told since they don't have machine right now i would have to go back after 6 months :-) believe me i was told to come back after 6 months. Then i went to Rajaji nagar RTO again for change of address and applying of plastic card again i was told to apply after 3 months because after 3 months they would be issuing the new smart cards. Again when i went after 3 months i was told they are very busy since the system of issuing smart cards is very new and they asked me to wait for a month or so, so that it can ease down a bit. Here i am again after a month to listen to the same music since my license is valid till 2019 its better for me to wait for a month or so, so that it can ease the rush a bit more but this time i was a bit reluctant. Now let me tell you the process of applying for the smart card along with the change of address :-) and also how it works in the RTO :-)
One person sits outside to assist you for your help :-) . I went to him and asked for the process to apply for smart card and he told me to go to counter 21. I went to counter 21 here i was asked to go to cash counter and pay the fee for the same. I went to the cash counter and after standing in the Que for 15min when it was my turn i asked her how much do i need to pay for change of address and smart card. She told me to go to counter 21 and ask them how much i need to pay. I was surprised that a person sitting in cash counter doesn't know how much to accept and she just accepts what people ask her to take :-). I saw that people don't pay for a certain job rather they ask her to take 200rs, 300rs and give a receipt for the same so strange right :-)
Now i went back to counter 21 and asked how much should i pay for change of address and smart card. He told me i had to pay 300rs (200 for smart card and 100 for change of address). Again i went back to the cash counter to stand in the Que, a middle man was standing in front of me with a list of 30 people, i had to wait until the receipt for all the 30 people is finished :-) . At the end of which the cashier told to the person 750Rs. Probably this should be the commission for the cashier for doing his job, because it was not paid at that moment :-). Its my turn now, i told her to give a receipt for 300rs to which she asked my name. I told "Poorna Prajna", she could not hear or probably she didn't know the spelling she asked me to write an application and come back :-). I came out again but i remembered suddenly and went back to the counter and gave my license and asked her to see my name from the license. At last she gave me a receipt for 300rs. With this i went back to counter 21. He told me to write an application and attach an address proof . I wrote an application and attached a xerox copy of my voting id card for address proof and went back to counter 21. He asked me to go to photo counter and get my photo clicked :-). When i went there, i was told that i should get a signature from the person in counter 21, so i went back again. This time he told me that i have to attach a printed application available outside for smart card. I had to go out to get the form only to know that there are no forms available with the RTO and i have to go to the xerox shop near by and pay Re1 for the application. After filling the application again i went back to counter 21 and got the signature and after which i got my photo clicked as well :-). Again go back to counter 21 and hand over all the documents along with your license. I got a piece of paper with a RTO seal as acknowledgement and i have been asked to come back after one month :-). Hope that i will get my smart card after one month...
Its soo simple right, but this is how it works here... Every time i visit a government office i remember few words from Gandhi "Its not that you are helping a customer, rather its because of the customer you are existing". I guess its Gandhi , golden words but so far from truth in the Indian government offices.

8 comments:

Bhuvana said...

I really wonder why nobody in the govt organisation take initiative to create websites and strictly print the protocol for all such process.

I am sure they must have written all the "reqmts" somehwere in the office or is it deliberately ignored ???

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