Hyderabad: A visit to the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) offices across the city is causing inconvenience for many, especially women and senior citizens.
Lack of chairs, separate queues, women’s toilets and poorly maintained water dispensers are a common sight at RTA’s 11 offices across the city, including at Tolichowki, Malakpet, Bandlaguda, and Kukatpally. This is despite the RTA charging 300-400 as user charge per transaction.
The situation is forcing many visitors to stand in the scorching sun while they wait for their turn. Even the washrooms are poorly maintained.
TOI visited some RTA offices in Khairatabad, Tolichowki, and Malakpet and found facilities in poor condition.
At the Khairatabad office, which is Telangana Transport Department’s headquarters, basic amenities were substandard, with drinking water area displaying algae-covered basins and tobacco stains. What’s more surprising is that this office functions only until 2 pm.
“I visited the RTA Khairatabad office with my friend to register her two-wheeler. Lack of proper seating arrangements there forced me to perch on a small compound wall for an entire hour while she completed her paperwork,” said Vasavi Kumari, a private bank employee. “Also, the absence of a ladies’ washroom on the premises caused considerable inconvenience,” Kumari further said.
Expressing displeasure, many senior citizens said that they were forced to stand or move around within the premises due to a lack of proper seating arrangements. “As a 75-year-old, I had to endure discomfort while waiting in line for two hours to complete car ownership transfer process,” said E Mallesh of Mallapur at Uppal RTA office.
RTA officials said they will address these concerns promptly. “We will arrange toilet facilities for women. With summer almost here, we will maintain clean drinking water free from contamination. However, the space constraints in many offices pose challenges in implementing dedicated seating arrangements for senior citizens,” said a senior official in RTA.
Support systems not implemented
RTA offices in the city see over 10,000 visitors daily, yet they lack essential facilities such as a grievance redressal mechanism or a dedicated helpline for addressing visitor complaints. Despite digitalising their services, the RTA has not implemented these support systems.
During the united AP, the administration maintained a dedicated grievance system with specific staff members assigned to document users’ issues.
