In yet another step towards ushering in transparency, the Motor Vehicles Department shifted from the existing manual system of allotment of registration number to the software-based allotment of registration numbers through a process of randomization.“The registration numbers for vehicles purchased after 5th July 2018 shall be allotted through a software-based randomization process. The numbers from within the series will be randomized with the help of a special module integrated with the Vahan 4.0 software and will be allotted to a newly purchased vehicle during registration. Earlier registration numbers were allotted serially through a manual process” informed the Transport Commissioner, Saugat Biswas.The randomization of registration numbers shall completely eliminate human intervention from the process. This will also result in foolproof and efficient disposal of the registration process, and eliminate scope of corruption, Biswas further informed. Under the new system, while randomization shall be the basic rule, the Department, has also kept a provision for allotting “Choice Numbers” on payment of prescribed fees. Any vehicle owner intending to get a Registration Number of her choice will have to apply for the number and if the number is available, it will be allotted on the first-come-first-serve basis through a completely online process.
Transport Commissioner informed that the process of allotment of “vanity/fancy numbers” is also being streamlined and made transparent by the MVD. Certain sought-after and popular numbers categorized as vanity numbers are advertised separately and these numbers are allotted through the process of bidding. The Transport Commissioner informed that within ten days’ time the MVD will start online system of bidding or e-auction for which the application module is in its final stages of readiness. The bid money will also be deposited online in the process.That the above measures are a step further in streamlining the registration process, in respect of which the State of Jammu and Kashmir has already taken a lead at the national level and is among the very few States, which have successfully introduced “Dealer-Assisted Registration”, where-under, customers of non-commercial vehicles are getting all their documentation, payment of statutory fees and other required formalities done at the dealers’ end and they do not have to visit the RTO/ARTO offices for such purposes.The documents submitted by the customers and the File prepared at Dealer’s end is already being electronically transmitted to the concerned Registering Authority and there is no physical movement of files. This hassle-free, efficient and transparent system has resulted in great convenience to the general public as well as the automobile dealers.The meeting was attended by Additional Transport Commissioner, Mohinder Singh, RTO Kashmir, Khursheed, Rakesh Gupta from NIC, and RTO Jammu Deep Raj and ARTOs of the State who attended through video conference.