Driving License New Update: Residents of Delhi will no longer have to face significant inconvenience or travel long distances to obtain a driving license. A new update regarding the issuance of driving licenses has emerged in Delhi, which is set to be highly beneficial for those applying for a new license. Specifically, under a new initiative, the Delhi Transport Department is planning to reopen the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) that had previously been shut down. According to reports, a total of 13 RTOs—one in each district of Delhi—are likely to be reactivated in a phased manner. Currently, offline services for the general public are operational at only four RTOs in Delhi: Mall Road, Sarai Kale Khan, Mayur Vihar, and Dwarka. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, most services were shifted online, resulting in the closure of several RTOs. Consequently, people often face difficulties and inconvenience when trying to obtain a driving license.
**RTO Offices Set to Reopen**
According to the Delhi Transport Department, reopening these RTOs will provide relief to individuals who require face-to-face assistance rather than online support—particularly for services that cannot be fully completed through digital channels. The objective of this change is to strike a balance between online facilities and ground-level services. Over the past few years, the department has introduced more than 33 services that can be accessed without the need for physical interaction; however, physical visits to the office remain essential for certain specific tasks. Under the new framework, if RTOs are reopened in alignment with the city's revenue districts, residents will no longer have to travel long distances to access these services.
According to a report by *HT*, Delhi will now have a total of 13 RTOs, in accordance with the city's new district administrative structure. Before this, the Transport Department had introduced "faceless services" in a phased manner, resulting in approximately 90% of transport-related operations being shifted online. These services included the issuance of learner licenses, renewal of driving licenses, issuance of duplicate licenses, transfer of vehicle ownership, and various permit-related services. The primary aim of this initiative was to reduce overcrowding at RTOs, curb the influence of middlemen, and enhance transparency in administrative operations. However, for certain services, physical verification, inspection, or the submission of documents remains mandatory. For this very reason, new RTO centers are being opened once again, a move intended to alleviate the pressure on the four existing RTOs.
**Locations of the New RTOs in the City**
Mall Road – Old Delhi
Jam Nagar House – New Delhi
Lado Sarai – South Delhi
Hari Nagar – West Delhi
Loni – North-East Delhi
Sarai Kale Khan – South-East Delhi
Mayur Vihar – East Delhi
Wazirpur – Central North Delhi
Dwarka – South-West Delhi
Raja Garden – Central Delhi
Rohini-1 – Outer North Delhi
Burari – North Delhi
Rohini-2 – North-West Delhi
**The DL-13 Number Series to Resume**
As part of administrative changes, the department has decided to reinstate the DL-13 vehicle registration series. This series had not been in use for the past few years. The DL-13 series is being reintroduced to ensure that the sequence of vehicle registrations across the districts remains accurate and well-organized.
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