Applicants in J&K receive smart card driving licences after wait of 18 months

JAMMU: After a long wait of 18 months, applicants of driving licence in Jammu and Kashmir have started receiving smart card driving licences from the transport department.

The transport department announced on Monday evening that it has started centralised printing and dispatch of driving licences ending the wait for licence card seekers.

Transport Commissioner Rajinder Singh Tara wrote on X; “Today printing and distribution of smart card driving licences started by the Transport Department in Jammu and Kashmir”.

Printing of approximately 2 lakh driving licenses which was pending for more than one and half years, has been resumed in collaboration with the Ministry of Road Transport, Government of India with the target to print and dispatch all pending driving licences within the next two months.

According to Rajinder Singh Tara, the motor vehicle department has also introduced a major facelift in the new cards, both in terms of durability and standards, as the department has decided to issue the QR code enabled smart cards as envisaged in the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 marking a major shift from the issuance of normal laminated cards.

The department has also made all necessary arrangements with the postal department to ensure delivery of the licences through speed post within 24 to 72 hours depending upon the distance, he added.

The applicant will also get a tracking ID through SMS from the postal department on their Sarathi registered mobile number for easy tracking of delivery of their driving licence.(Agencies)