Road safety expert questions govt takeover of DL & RC issuance in Punjab

CHANDIGARH: Kamal Soi, member of the National Road Safety Council, and Chairman of Raahat - The Safe Community Foundation, has raised serious concerns over the Punjab government’s move to take control of driving license (DL) and registration certificate (RC) issuance.
Soi claimed that 268 employees have already lost their jobs due to this transition. He referred to the Request for Proposal (RFP) issued on February 10, 2025, which mandates that the Transport Department will oversee the personalization of data, issuance, and distribution of final personalized smart cards post-supply.
Soi claimed that government control over a project previously managed by a system integrator will lead to increased corruption, inefficiency, and inconvenience for the public. He said that system integrators bring in skilled professionals, including IT specialists and project managers, whose expertise is now at risk of being disregarded.
He said, over 5 lakh people in Punjab are waiting for DLs and RCs and are left in the lurch and are being subjected to inconvenience, which will only lead to corruption. He also questioned why driving tests were not being conducted by the Punjab government.