On 3/2/08, Venkat Mangudi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Abhijit Menon-Sen wrote: > > (though I forget exactly how). I was sufficiently annoyed that I decided > > to get the license the "right way", i.e. by going to the nearest RTO and > > I have had a very good experience with the RTO in Yeshwanthpur, > Bangalore. <snip>
Ditto here too. My experience with RTO - IndiraNagar (Bangalore) was immensely hope giving... A few years ago, having hit 40, my license expired. That I got my original DL in Madras ages back, after having made a record 17 visits to the Road Transport Office is another point, and I wont talk about those details here. :-) So I kept on postponing visiting the IndiraNagar RTO for renewing my DL (much like Blumefeld, an elderly bachelor) hoping that somehow miraculously I would get my license. Having worked in public sector / Govt earlier, I have always had respect for a few stellar folks who are invariably present there who would go the extra smile to solve problems for others and I fervently hoped that I would meet with such a person in RTO too. So it was. I entered the RTO with much trepidation and was loitering around trying to figure out stuff, trying to avoid touts, early morn of the day my license would happily expire. I talked to some officers in the RTO, who said that the procedure is to: 1. get a NoObjectionCertificate from RTO-Madras 2. appear for a driving test in Bangalore 3. get a medical certificate 4. wait for a fortnight. I very well knew that it would be impossible to get 1 and if at all possible it would take some 3 months (in the normal way) to get it. I was despondent (what do I expect) as I needed my valid DL to hire a car or whatever in the following week in untied status of america etc... After meeting and chatting with a few folks there, I stepped into the PRO's office, explained the situation acking my mistake in not approaching the RTO earlier etc. He was quite considerate and made me write a few letters, helping me fill a few forms (yours truly being illiterate in Kannada, he needed help) and lo and behold, in the next two hours, I was out, proudly displaying my plastic DL! I have had the experience of running a few small scale industries too, in my past avatars, and I have never had to pay any speedmoney or bribe to any govt or semigovt functionary whatsoever! :-) My axioms are the following: 1. If I expect to find a place absolutely corrupt and that ALL folks out there in the world are there only to swindle me, I will get swindled. 2. There are always folks out there to help others and the trick is to be able to locate them. 3. In govt offices, there are ALWAYS well established and papertrail filled processes to take care of ANY deviant-from-normal kind of requests. And, if I am polite enough, I will get things get done. I would also add that PF office (near Richmond circle) is phenomenal and things get done as promised, well within the due date, AND in the normal course. :-) ramjee. -- http://www.qsl.net/vu2sro/ "Mathematics has given economics rigor, but alas, also mortis." -- Robert Heilbroner
