Chip shortage slams brakes on smart driving licence in UP, lakhs in wait

AGRA: Thousands of motorists who have applied for a driving licence (DL) are a distraught lot these days as over the past three months there has been a delay in issuance of smart cards at regional transport offices (RTO) in several districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Authorities attribute it to global chip shortage due to the Russia-Ukraine war and said the backlog will be cleared soon. Over three lakh people are waiting for their DLs.

Confirming the delay in issuing licences in places such as Muzaffarnagar, Farrukhabad and Aligarh, among others, an inspector at RTO Muzaffarnagar, Vishwajeet (who goes by his first name), said, “There are many applicants waiting for their licence but we cannot do anything from here. The entire process is done at the state level in Lucknow.”