Ahmedabad: RTO services, including driving license-related work, remained disrupted across Gujarat for the last two days, directly affecting more than 50,000 applicants. Due to a technical glitch in the Sarathi and Parivahan portal servers, services such as licence issuance, document verification, renewals, address changes, and international driving permits have come to a standstill in most RTO offices, including Ahmedabad.

After the offices opened on Monday, applicants were forced to wait for hours at several RTO offices, including the one at Subhash Bridge in Ahmedabad. Many people who had received tokens returned home disappointed after failing to complete their work. The server issue also prevented applicants from submitting online applications from home. Later, on Tuesday, a similar situation prevailed.

According to reports, the server has faced disruptions four times in the last 15 days at the Bhavnagar RTO. With the system either down or running extremely slowly over the past two days, several services have been severely affected. It is learnt that Bhavnagar RTO handles 150 to 200 applications for two-wheeler licences and over 100 applications for four-wheeler licences every day, all of whom were left frustrated due to the server glitch.

At the Ahmedabad RTO as well, licence verification work required for conductor recruitment was almost at a standstill. Although many candidates arrived at the office early in the morning, their applications remained pending until afternoon. The delay led to protests and heated arguments by applicants at the office. Some candidates alleged that server-related issues have persisted for a long time, but no permanent solution has been implemented.

The disruption has created difficulties not only for applicants but also for RTO employees and officers. Staff members have been struggling to explain delays and respond to queries from frustrated citizens.

Bhavnagar RTO in-charge R.P. Dani said the server load has increased significantly because of the large number of applications being received for GSRTC recruitment. A representation has been made to the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and higher authorities in Gandhinagar regarding the issue. Necessary steps are being taken to resolve the problem, and efforts are underway to restore normal services at the earliest. DeshGujarat