Pune: Commencement of New Smart Card Printing for Driving License and RC from August 21
Pune, 16th August 2023: The production of the revamped Smart Card for Vehicle License and Registration Certificate (RC) is set to kick off on August 21, employing state-of-the-art technology across three designated centers.
These centers collectively aim to print 75,000 smart cards daily. Pune residents will receive their smart cards through the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar RTO office, albeit a potential week-long wait for drivers to acquire them.
“With the rollout scheduled for August 21, the augmented printing capacity is expected to rapidly clear the existing backlog within a short span”, Jitendra Patil, Additional Transport Commissioner, Mumbai
Amidst a statewide predicament affecting all RTO offices, including Pune, concerning the issuance of vehicle licenses and smart card RCs, a temporary suspension of the smart card system was instituted at the Pune RTO office for a span of 15 days. This unfortunate hiatus has led to over 50 thousand drivers grappling with the non-receipt of their RCs and vehicle licenses.
The smart card contract has been entrusted to the Manipal Technology Company based in Karnataka. From August 21 onwards, smart card production will commence simultaneously at the RTO offices in Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Nagpur. An impressive daily output of approximately 75,000 cards will be achieved across these three centers before subsequent distribution.
In the past, smart cards were printed at local RTO offices, but logistical bottlenecks impacted timely distribution, adversely affecting drivers. Seeking a resolution, the Department of Transport entered into a partnership with a new entity. However, this transition led to the decentralization of printing rights from local RTO offices. Consequently, smart card dissemination will now operate from three consolidated centers, although potential delays in reaching recipients’ homes are foreseeable.
Key Features of the New Smart Card:
- Introduction of laser engraving technique for superior quality
- High-quality printing of vehicle owner’s name, photo, and address on the smart card
- Smart cards devoid of a chip for simplicity
- Enhanced card durability through advanced techniques
- Resilience against heat-induced damage
- A new vehicle license fee of Rs. 64, reducing the cost by Rs. 30 compared to the current Rs. 94, alongside a fee of Rs. 56 for the RC.
In Retrospect…
- Smart Card Printing to occur at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar RTO Office, Mumbai, and Nagpur
- Three printing machines distributed among the three RTOs
- Daily printing capacity of 20 to 22 thousand cards per center
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