Glitches in NIC Portals Paralyse Services at RTO Offices: Citizens Suffer, State Exchequer Loses Revenue
||Black and White Digital News ||
||Parvinder Singh August 18,2025|||
Jammu:The persistent malfunctioning of government-run portals at the Regional Transport Offices (RTO’s) has left hundreds of applicants frustrated, with many waiting for months to complete basic services such as vehicle transfer, e-KYC verification, and fee processing. The crisis highlights deeper systemic issues in the state’s digital governance and raises serious questions about accountability.
Citizen Voices: Digital India on Paper, Not on Ground
Ajay Kumar Verma and Adil one of the visitors to the RTO Jammu and Kashmir shared his ordeal with this correspondent. Despite completing all the online formalities for a vehicle transfer nearly two months ago, his application is still pending due to the non-functioning portals.
“There are two portals — the Citizen Portal and the Office Portal. Neither is working properly. Payments made by citizens and their e-KYC details are not showing up in the RTO system. We are just doing rounds of the office without any progress,” Verma lamented.
His case is not isolated. Several applicants outside the RTO office echoed similar grievances, saying that instead of reducing red tape, digitization has increased uncertainty and wasted time.
RTO Officials Pass the Buck to NIC:
When contacted for clarification, RTO officials admitted the ongoing technical failures. They revealed that teams from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) — the government’s primary IT backbone responsible for managing digital portals — visited the office but were unable to fix the glitches.
“We are entirely dependent on NIC for the smooth functioning of these portals. Our staff cannot bypass the system or manually process applications. Despite repeated requests, NIC has not provided a sustainable solution,” an official said on condition of anonymity.
Governance Paradox: Big Spending on Digital Push, But Poor Delivery
The issue also exposes a paradox in the government’s digital policy. On one hand, heavy expenditure is being incurred on advertising and marketing “Digital India” and online governance platforms. On the other, the very portals meant to simplify citizen services are failing in practice.
Applicants are questioning why there is no accountability mechanism for such technical failures. “The government wants us to use online systems but when those systems don’t work, we are left in limbo. Who will answer for the delays, the harassment, and the financial losses?” asked another applicant at the RTO office.
Loss to State Exchequer:
Experts also warn that these glitches are not only inconveniencing citizens but also causing financial loss to the state exchequer. With payments not being properly reflected in the government system, revenue collection is being delayed or stuck in limbo, undermining the efficiency and credibility of e-governance initiatives.
Need for Accountability and Transparency:
The current crisis raises broader questions:
• Why has NIC failed to maintain robust digital infrastructure?
• Who is monitoring the performance of these portals?
• Why are citizens forced to pay the price of inefficiency in the name of digitization?
Unless there is greater accountability, transparency, and investment in the backend functioning of e-governance platforms, the vision of a smooth digital interface for public services will remain far from reality.
While the government continues to promote “Digital India” as a flagship reform, the ground reality at RTO offices tells a different story — one where technical glitches, lack of accountability, and bureaucratic dependence on a single agency are eroding public trust. Citizens are demanding urgent intervention to restore normalcy, ensure accountability, and prevent further revenue losses to the state.
