Govt banks on recruiting agencies for relief
Acute manpower gaps from Hqrs to field units
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 9: At a time when vehicular traffic is rising sharply and enforcement responsibilities are expanding across Jammu and Kashmir, the Transport Department finds itself battling a crippling manpower crisis that threatens to derail its core functions.
An official data provided in the Legislative Assembly has exposed shocking staff shortages—from the highest policy-making offices to grassroot ARTO units. With technical posts lying vacant, enforcement teams depleted and frontline services gasping for manpower, the data paints a grim picture of a department struggling to maintain road safety oversight and deliver basic public services.
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The Transport Commissioner’s office responsible for policy planning and coordination is functioning with only 29 employees against a sanctioned strength of 50, leaving crucial technical and administrative roles unfilled, including Motor Vehicle Inspectors, Section Officers and statistical staff. The shortage at headquarters is fraught with weakening monitoring mechanisms and slowing implementation of policy decisions across the Union Territory.
Among regional hubs, RTO Jammu is operating with 28 staff members against 44 sanctioned posts, resulting in gaps in supervision and administrative support. Key deficiencies include two vacant Motor Vehicle Inspector posts and the absence of Head Assistants and Assistant MVIs, placing extra burden on the existing workforce.
In Kashmir, the manpower crunch has severely affected enforcement. RTO Kashmir has only 4 MVIs against a sanctioned 10, while the overall workforce stands at 31 against 45 sanctioned posts, leaving the office short by 14 employees. The shortage has reportedly slowed inspection schedules, licensing processes and regulatory checks across the Valley.
RTO Kathua presents an alarming scenario, functioning with 14 employees against a sanctioned 26. Half of its technical workforce remains vacant leaving routine administrative operations overstretched. The manpower deficit becomes more acute at the district level where public interaction is highest.
ARTO Doda and ARTO Rajouri are among the worst-hit, each operating with just 4 employees against a sanctioned strength of 10, severely impacting licensing, vehicle registration and enforcement duties.
Likewise, ARTO Ramban and ARTO Kishtwar are functioning with five employees each against sanctioned strength of 12 and 10 respectively while as ARTO Poonch is having only six employees against the sanctioned strength of 10.
In Kashmir Division, ARTO Anantnag is functioning with 9 employees against sanctioned strength of 14 while as ARTO Ganderbal is having 8 employees against sanctioned strength of 11. Similarly, ARTO Bandipora is working with 6 staff members against 10 sanctioned posts. Similar shortages continue to hamper ARTO Kupwara and ARTO Shopian, exposing widespread manpower gaps.
The Transport Department has defended its functioning by stating that service delivery is being sustained through rational deployment of staff, internal redistribution of work and by initiating the process for filling up vacant posts through the recruitment agencies. “Wherever required, additional manpower is being temporarily deployed to offices with heavy workload”, the Government claimed.
The Government further stated that all vacant posts under the direct recruitment quota have been referred to recruiting agencies, with assurances that vacancies will be filled on a priority basis once selections are finalized.
However, the stark figures underline a systemic manpower crisis at a time when traffic volume and regulatory demands are rising sharply across Jammu and Kashmir. With regional hubs weakened, district offices operating on skeletal staff and technical wings depleted, concerns are mounting that the Transport Department’s ability to ensure effective enforcement, road safety and timely public services may continue to erode unless urgent recruitment and structural reforms are undertaken.
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