Hyderabad, January 20: Puna resident G Venugopal begged his boss for leave so that he could go to Hyderabad to take his driving test. He had earned the time slot at the Medchal test track after much effort. Today, he turned up at the testing track only to find RTA staff on a ‘pen-down’ strike. Naturally, he was under the collar, as he tried vainly to argue his case with the officials present.
“I had booked my slot for the driving test nearly two months ago. But after coming to Medchal, I learnt that there would be no work done today. None of the officials here is able to tell me when my test will be rescheduled. I wouldn’t have come to Hyderabad had the officials made an announcement earlier,’’ Venugopal said.
Regional Transport Authority (RTA) centres across the city were witness to arguments between service-seekers and striking officials as work came to a standstill due to the ‘pen down’ strike. The strike is likely to continue for two more days. Several applicants who had already booked their slots in advance ended up losing a day since they learned only after reaching RTA offices that services were withdrawn for the day. Applicants said had officials of the transport department announced it on their website or through other means, they would not have made the futile journey.
Antony, a resident of Ram Nagar, studying at Gulbarga, Karnataka had gone to Nagole testing track. He feared he would not be able to give the test if it is rescheduled for next week, since he has his graduation semester exams coming up. “I might end up losing `500 paid for taking the driving licence test. Besides, I will be wasting my time for two days,’’ Antony said.
Several auto drivers were also affected. The existing tier-III system does not issue permit to autos for using a petrol engine, if the due date is completed. On Wednesday, many auto drivers were seen arguing with RTA officials, as plying them without permit would attract penalty if caught by traffic police or RTA enforcement.
–Agencies