Andheri RTO grapples with staff crunch

With some officials on leave,the situation is only getting worse. As per government files,there are 89 vacancies— clerks to assistant inspector and senior inspectors— at the Andheri RTO. The office caters to areas from Dahisar to Bandra,a rapidly growing stretch. The situation at the other two RTOs,Wadala and Tardeo,is not better. The Wadala RTO is around 62 positions short while the Tardeo RTO needs 150 workers.

Minister of State for Transport,Gulabrao Devkar,said the department has already started the recruitment process. “We have given advertisments requesting applications for clerks and are awaiting responses. Majority of the vacancies are for posts of clerks, following that we will appoint inspectors,” Devkar said.

Staff at Andheri RTO say they have often stay back for two-three hours beyond the official time of 6 pm to deal with the workload. “The vacancies have been there for almost two years now but there have been no recruitments. We have been told the recruitments will begin soon,” said an inspector with the RTO.

The transport department’s plan to set up a new RTO at Borivali to reduce pressure on the Andheri RTO hasn’t materialised yet. The department has not received responses for the newspaper advertisements for a piece of land to set up MH-47,the city’s fourth RTO. The RTO would cater to Dahisar-Goregaon region.

“We are trying to utilise our resources to get more staff. As for the city’s fourth RTO,we are still awaiting response to the advertisements,” a senior transport department official said. Officials said the department is looking at a rental place at ready reckoner rates and not at commercial rates which is why there has been no response.