Shortage of staff leaves Udupi RTO lame

[email protected] (Abhijith D)
June 3, 2013
Udupi, Jun 3: Manpower crunch is faced by almost every sector and government departments are no exception. Udupi district has witnessed commendable progress over the last few years and if one looks at the revenue of RTO, then it is easier to imagine the growth that the region has experienced.

ksrtcThe Regional Transport Office, which had  revenue of Rs 3 crore way back in 1984 today has a revenue of Rs 90 crores.  However, the startling fact is that the department earning such huge income has only 8 officials for the district. The number of employees sanctioned by the government about 30 years ago has been faithfully maintained till date, without taking into consideration the quantum jump in revenue and number of vehicles in the region.

The result is that the existing handful of employees has been overtly burden. There are 2.50 lakh vehicles estimated to be plying in the RTO limits here. Large section of these vehicle owners frequent to the RTO for issue of license, renewal of license or various other reasons. Due to scarcity of manpower the vehicle owners are either sent back to return after a few days or they are made to wait in the pipeline for several months. The employees here are undoubtedly unable to handle pressure.

Vacancies

Though the RTO has been given a spacious office at Rajathadri in Manipal, when it comes to number of persons working in the department, the office looks way larger than what was needed.

One of the most important posts, the post of Assistant RTO itself is lying vacant since several years. While a Regional Transport Officer has been working, there are three sanctioned posts for Senior Inspector of Motor Vehicles, out of which only one post has been filled.

There are three posts of Office Superintendents, out of which two are lying vacant. Two posts of second division clerks are yet to be filled. Posts of one stenographer and one typist are vacant. One post of driver is lying vacant.

Density of vehicles

According to data available with the department there are 2,48,875 vehciles registered in Udupi. On an average 50 to 60 two-wheelers are registered every day. Amidst the pressure of performing various responsibilities in the office, the staffs are expected to hold camp every Tuesday at Kundapur and every Thursday at Karkala. Every third Saturday the camp is held at Padubidri where the officials have to be present without fail. Everyday 250-300 applicants for new license are to be tested on various yardsticks by the officials concerned. Due to this three inspectors have to be in Udupi throughout the day. The RTO officials are working 16 hours a day.

Kundapur office

It is said that 60 per cent of the department's income comes from Kundapur taluk. Further, the officials of the department are available here only on Tuesday. Hence the vehicle owners of Kundapur, Byndoor, Kollur and nearby areas have to depend on Udupi invariably. The locals have floated a demand to start a sub office in Kundapur.

Comments

sandeep
 - 
Thursday, 21 Apr 2016

i have a diploma in computer science and completed six month course of hardware maintenance & networking technologies.
also worked as data card machine operator for 10 months at manipal cards & technologies, contact 9845054361

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
February 5,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 5: Despite installing a BJP government in Karnataka through disguised operation Kamala, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government has continued its step motherly attitude towards this south Indian state.

Under the new formula adopted to share central taxes among states Karnataka will be the worst-affected. Though the 15th Finance Commission has recommended a special grant of Rs 5,495 crore for the state for 2020-21, the Centre appears reluctant to pay up and instead has asked for the proposal to be reviewed.

During the Union budget, the report of the 14th Finance Commission headed by NK Singh for 2020-21 was tabled in Lok Sabha. It shows besides Karnataka, Telangana, Mizoram and Kerala saw their central tax share decrease, while Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra were top gainers.

Karnataka's share has decreased from 4.7% provided by the previous finance commission, to 3.6%. Acknowledging there is a steep decline in Karnataka's share from 2019-20, the finance commission has recommended a special grant of Rs 5,495 crore for the state.

Its share in 2019-20 was Rs 36,675 crore, but under the new formula, Karnataka will get only Rs 31,180 crore in 2020-21 from the divisible pool of Rs 8.5 lakh crore - a decline of 22.5%.

Also, the decrease for Karnataka comes on the back of a shortfall in 2019-20. While the state was entitled to Rs 39,806 crore from the divisible pool, it got only Rs 36,675 crore as the Centre suffered a tax revenue shortfall of Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

What is more disheartening though is the Centre's refusal to pay the special grant. Instead, the Union finance ministry has asked the finance commission to reconsider the recommendation. This has prompted the state to take up the issue with the Centre.

"The decline in central taxes devolution comes at a time when the state is going through a tough financial situation. Steps are being taken to ensure Karnataka gets justice," said chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar.

Officials said besides corrective measures for 2020-21, the focus will be on ensuring a fair share in subsequent years. However, Karnataka has little chance of getting its dues as the Centre is known to be prudent when distributing tax proceeds among states.

"The Centre has certain views on devolution. We have done our duty by submitting the interim report. It's up to the states to convince the Centre," said Ravi Kota, joint secretary of 15th Finance Commission.

Under the new formula, the commission changed the weightage for some of the six criteria it considers - population, area, forest cover, income distance, demographic performance and tax effort.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
coastaldigest.com news network
July 26,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 26: The government of Karnataka has urged the Muslims to celebrate Eid al-Adha in a simple manner and follow all guidelines amid mounting cases of covid-19.

The festival, also known as Bakrid, will be celebrated on July 31 in coastal districts of Karnataka and on August 1 in other parts of Karnataka. 

In an order, A B Ibrahim, secretary of the department of minority welfare, Hajj and Waqf has prohibited offering Eid prayers in open grounds (Eidgahs) in the wake of pandemic.

Eid prayers can be offered in mosques by following all the necessary precautionary measures including maintaining physical distance. The congregation should not exceed 50 worshippers. If they number exceeds, they should be divided into three groups. 

However, except for mosques, no other places should be used for offering congregational prayer. 

Besides, all those who attend Eid prayers at mosque should compulsorily wear face masks. Entry is banned for people who are above the age of 60 years and below the age of 10. At least six feet distance needs to be maintained while offering prayer.

Thermal scanning needs to be done before entering the mosque. Hands need to be washed in soap or sanitizer. No one should touch the holy books in the mosque. Hand shaking and embracing to greet will also not be allowed. If any strangers are seen, their movement should be monitored.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
August 7,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 7: Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, the state's health department issued fresh guidelines for the disposal of bodies of COVID patients.

"Although an increased risk of COVID infection from a dead body to health workers or family members who follow standard precautions while handling the body is unlikely, the lack of scientific data requires the utmost care to avoid the inadvertent spread of COVID-19 during these times," the statement from the health department's press release read, emphasising on the dignity of the dead and the religious and cultural tradition.

The 23-page press release elaborated on guidelines regarding testing, handling of dead bodies and other specificities in relation to the management of COVID-19 bodies.

"Testing should not be insisted in every case of death, but only when they have a recorded history of influenza-like symptoms. The body should be handed over to the family members/ relatives in a dignified manner immediately after swab collection and hospitals should provide handouts with a list of dos and don'ts in English and Kannada laying down relevant information," the statement said.

It added, "At the mortuary, health care workers, mortuary staff and the family of the deceased body shall not come in direct contact with the dead body and must wear full personal protective equipment (PPE). If the family or relative are for any reason unable to cremate or bury the body, the local health authority shall arrange for the dignified last rites as per the religious traditions of the family."

Regarding autopsies (post mortem) on COVID-19 bodies, the state department said that they should be avoided, except in necessary circumstances.

The statement also gave detailed guidelines regarding the appropriate recording of COVID-19 deaths in line with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines.

Additionally, the health department made a statement about the admission procedure for COVID positive patients referred by other district administrations saying, "It is now mandatory for all the referrals from the BBMP admission and discharge of COVID positive patients to be done through the online COVID Hospital Bed Management System (CHBMS)."

The state's count of coronavirus cases was 1,51,449 in the past 24 hours.

So far, a total of 2,804 people have died due to COVID-19 in the state, while the average recovery rate in Karnataka is 49.3 per cent.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.