HC asks Odisha govt to run RTO e-kiosks with agents driven out

The Orissa High Court on Thursday directed the state government to prepare a list of the agents who were working as facilitators at various Regional Transport Offices (RTOs), and accommodate them suitably in the proposed e-kiosks.

The government has planned to set up e-kiosks at the RTOs to help people get various services under the Motor Vehicles Act.

Following an executive notice issued by the State Transport Commissioner in September, in which the agents were debarred from entering the RTOs and were threatened with criminal prosecution in case of violation of the order, hundreds of agents lost their livelihoods.

Several petitions were then filed in the high court challenging the order as an infringement of fundamental rights of the people to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business, guaranteed in the Constitution.

Disposing of one of the petitions filed in this connection, Justice Biswanath Rath has directed the State Transport Secretary to identify and maintain a list of such agents by collecting data from each RTO and install the e-kiosks as an urgent measure.

The e-kiosks shall run or be manned through the identified agents as far as practicable and the exercise should be completed within a period of two months, the order said.