Kolkata: The state government has approved the establishment of two new Additional Regional Transport Officer (ARTO) offices, one at Canning subdivision in South 24-Parganas and the other at Buniadpur in South Dinajpur’s Gangarampur subdivision.
The move is aimed at decentralising motor vehicle services, reducing pressure on overburdened Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) and improving accessibility for residents in remote areas. “Residents of Canning had to travel long distances to Baruipur and those from Gangarampur to Balurghat for motor vehicle-related services. This not only placed an excessive burden on existing offices but also slowed service delivery,” said a senior official from the Transport department. “The closer the administrative unit is to the people, the better the governance and the faster the service delivery.”
Both proposals, initiated by the state Transport department, received concurrence from the state Finance department and were subsequently approved by the state Cabinet on April 23. A formal memorandum announcing the creation of the new offices was recently issued by state transport secretary Saumitra Mohan.
According to the memorandum, each ARTO office will be staffed with five key personnel: one ARTO, two motor vehicles inspectors (technical) and two motor vehicles inspectors (non-technical). The Transport Department will provide these officials, while additional staff will be drawn from the existing pool under the district administration, sub-divisional officer (SDO), or the Transport Directorate establishments.
The new offices will be housed within the premises of the respective SDOs, Canning for South 24-Parganas and Gangarampur for Buniadpur.