On the first day of the smart driving licence application process, a software glitch resulted in several applicants being charged three times the mandated fee. Instead of the required Rs 245, they were charged Rs 805 due to the glitch. The malfunctioning software also caused issues for those trying to submit their applications and make the payment. Despite being partially resolved, the website is still slow.
Existing licence holders can convert their licence to a smart licence by submitting an application on the Sarathi software under the ‘replacement of driving licence’ option. The fee for this is Rs 200 with a postal charge of Rs 45. However, due to the glitch, several people were charged Rs 805. The Motor Vehicles Department has promised to refund the excess amount.
The website was launched on April 21, even though it was not fully developed, which led to the glitch. The issue was resolved in the following days. Kerala is rolling out new driving licences with security features, in line with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. These security features include a serial number, UV emblem, guilloche pattern, micro text, hot-stamped hologram, QR code, and optically variable ink, most of which are available in an Aadhaar smart card.
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