One of UT’s top revenue earning depts, RLA yearns for attention

One of the most revenue earning departments of the UT Administration, Registering and Licensing Authority(RLA), Sector 17, has been in the news, lately, for all the wrong reasons.

Blame it on the official apathy of those at the helm of affairs or lack of initiative to improve the situation, but even as the RLA ails, officials seem to choose to look the other way.

In fact, over the past few years, the earnings of the RLA has increased manifold from a mere annual earnings of Rs 8 crore, three years back, to Rs 45 crore in the last fiscal. And if insiders are to be believed, this year's earnings are pegged at Rs 78-80 crore.

Inside the office, one is greeted with an inadequately lit hall, which has at least a dozen counters for submission of various forms for new licenses and registration certificates (RCs), renewal of old licenses and transfer of vehicles, with hardly any space to accommodate all the applicants.5

With a daily footfall of 600-700 applicants and bare minimum space for so many people to stand in queues in the tiny hall, applicants can often be seen gasping for breath and complaining about inadequate space to the authorities, but to no avail.

Parshuram Kavle, RLA-cum-SDM, while speaking with the Chandigarh Newsline said, "We are making an effort to improve the facilities and infrastructure at RLA. Residents will soon experience the difference".

Staff shortage

Incidentally, to run such a huge public dealing office that is responsible for handling huge amount of cash everyday, the department does not have its own permanent staff. Despite the fact that the office came into existence almost three decades ago, yet manpower is hired on contract from the Red Cross or other institutions. As a result, due to shortage of manpower, it is the public that often suffers due to delay in services.

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