Ranchi: Vehicle registration is set to get immediate and paperless in Jharkhand from next month, thanks to web-based application Vahan4.
The state transport department will register new and resold vehicles via the software app, offering immediate registration numbers to customers.
National Informatics Centre (NIC) unveiled Vahan4 today at the state transport department office for department secretary Ratan Kumar and other senior officials.
“Jharkhand is perhaps the only state that’s still using Vahan2 till date. Others have already started using the upgraded Vahan4. But, by June-end, we too are going to join the club,” department secretary Kumar told The Telegraph.
By June-end, the tech-friendly registration process will start from Ranchi and couple of other districts on a pilot basis. Then, in a few days, it will be rolled out across the state. Ranchi apart, names of other districts aren’t final yet, though East Singhbhum and Hazaribagh are tipped as hot contenders for Vahan4 launch in the first phase.
Secretary Kumar explained how the people would find the process simpler.
“We are linking Vahan4 web-based application that links the department and all vehicle dealers. Once you buy a vehicle, the dealer can fill up mandatory details such as its chassis and engine numbers and all data needed to register a vehicle on this app, which will immediately generate the permanent registration number,” he said.
He added that buyers would not have to visit their respective district transport offices (DTOs). “Your DTO can access the data fed at the dealer’s end,” Kumar said.
“Though the registration number will be generated immediately, the DTO office will send a smart card to the buyer’s house through courier or post in about a fortnight, which is normal,” he added.
“Fees prescribed under Motor Vehicles Act for vehicle registration according to its make and type will stay the same.”
Rajesh Kumar, regional transport officer, Ranchi, who watched the NIC presentation on Vahan4, said: “The whole idea is to uproot corruption and ensure transparency at all levels. Vahan4 is a very good software app.”
District transport officer of Ranchi Nagendra Paswan explained the basic difference between Vahan2 and Vahan4.
“With Vahan2, customers have to come to our office with all relevant papers that we manually update. With Vahan4, everything gets done at the dealer’s end. As the software has auto-programmed options, a user can select and click without needing any manual data entry. It’s about greater speed, convenience and transparency,” he said.
Paswan added that yesterday, Union IT secretary R.S. Sharma, a former Jharkhand chief secretary, held a review meeting via video-conferencing with all states in this regard. “That’s why we held a meeting today to speed up the process,” he said.
Asked if Ranchi was ready for Vahan4, Paswan said: “We have already started training our staff.”
