Ludhiana RTA Faces Consumer Commission Wrath Over Faulty Driving Licence
A local consumer watchdog has strongly criticized the Regional Transport Authority in Ludhiana. The commission called the RTA's conduct negligent and casual. This criticism comes after a school teacher received a driving licence with serious errors. The document incorrectly listed her gender as male. It also wrongly recorded her father's name as her husband's name.
Consumer Commission Imposes Fine for Service Deficiency
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has taken decisive action. It ordered the RTA Ludhiana to pay a composite fine of Rs 5,000 to Meenu Kapoor. She is a resident of Kundanpuri in Ludhiana. The commission cited a significant deficiency in service as the reason for the penalty. This ruling ends a year-long bureaucratic nightmare for the complainant. The errors left her unable to legally drive her vehicle for eight full months.
A Bureaucratic Maze of Errors
Meenu Kapoor's ordeal started in August 2022. She applied online to renew her driving licence and update her address. She submitted all the correct documentation for the process. This included her Aadhaar card, medical certificate, and blood group report. Despite this, the RTA's official software generated an application reference slip full of errors.
Kapoor testified about her repeated efforts to fix the mistakes. She made numerous visits to the RTA office in person. She also sent multiple emails and even a legal notice. All these attempts aimed to rectify the errors before the licence printing. A clerk reportedly gave her verbal assurances during one visit. The clerk said the errors would get fixed during her photography appointment. However, the system remained unchanged despite these promises.
Faced with no other option to complete the renewal, Kapoor verified the faulty application. The physical licence finally arrived by post in May 2023. The errors persisted in the printed document. It listed her gender as male. It incorrectly recorded her father's name. It also marked her blood group as unknown.
Commission's Strong Verdict Against RTA
The RTA failed to send any representative to the commission hearings. This led the commission to proceed ex-parte. The commission made strong remarks about the RTA's conduct. Officials were negligent and casual in their approach while issuing such an important document, the panel stated. The commission noted specific consequences of the RTA's failure. Meenu Kapoor had to rely on public transport from September 2022 to May 2023. This caused her financial loss along with physical and mental agony.
Kapoor had sought Rs 4 lakh in compensation for her troubles. The commission awarded a more modest Rs 5,000. However, it issued a strict mandate alongside the fine. The RTA must correct its internal records immediately. The ruling serves as a warning to transport authorities about proper document issuance procedures.
