Bhubaneswar: The massive rush at Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) in Bhubaneswar continued as scores of drivers who do not possess a valid driving licence were spotted spending the night near the RTOs here.
The fear of a hefty fine has sent them queuing up at the transport offices which are now struggling to meet the sudden spike in demand.
As per a few licence seekers, they have been regularly making rounds of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) frequently but are unable to attain the required documents.
People are queuing up at the centres since 1 am and each person has to wait for more than one hour to get the chance.
Moreover, a heavy rush was spotted at Regional Transport Offices here since early morning today.
Besides, due to the shortage of counters and staff, the work is getting delayed creating huge resentment among the public.
Keeping in view the rising public resentment across the state over the provision of hefty fines in the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, the Odisha government had an earlier relaxed implementation of the new traffic rules till December 1.
In comparison to earlier times, driving license applications have seen an increase after hefty fines were imposed following the violation of traffic rules under the newly amended Act.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had notified the provisions of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, which was implemented in several states from September 1.
The law enforces heavy fines and stricter penalties for traffic violations. There have been several instances where people have coughed up hefty fines for traffic violations in many parts of the country.
Prasanta Patnaik