5,000 unclaimed licences, RCs gathering dust at Vashi RTO

As per data available with the Vashi RTO, 5,000 driving licences and vehicle registration certificates (RCs) are lying unclaimed at the office for the last five years.

The unclaimed licences and RCs at the Vashi RTO

Officials said the majority of these unclaimed documents are those which the RTO had sent to applicants via postal services to verify the given address, so that the right person receives an important document like a driving licence that has his/her personal details.

They said most of the mails were returned due to incorrect addresses provided by the applicant. And in some cases, an applicant had shifted permanently. Sanjay Dhaygude, deputy Regional Transport Officer, Vashi RTO, said, "People either don't care to collect their documents or fail to update their new residential address, due to which over 5,000 documents are lying in our office.

Only a handful of the applicants ever care to come back and collect their papers. We have no option but to store the unclaimed documents."

Off the mark
Despite an increase in registration of vehicles since 2010, the Vashi RTO failed to achieve its revenue target for the previous fiscal year.

In order to avoid paying 3 per cent Local Body Tax (LBT) on registration of vehicles at the RTO, motorists get their vehicles registered in Panvel. Sources claimed that since the RTO missed its revenue target of Rs 217 crore for 2014-15, the target for the current fiscal has been set at Rs 199 crore. Last year, the RTO generated Rs 201.58 crore.

A motorist purchasing a vehicle worth R1 lakh is liable to pay LBT of R3,000 on registration, along with the motor vehicle tax of about Rs 7000. The percentage of motor vehicle tax varies anywhere from 7 to 9 per cent, depending on the price of the vehicle. In order to avoid paying the LBT, motorists get their vehicles registered at the Panvel RTO.