September 11: Chennai-based Madras Security Printers, which was awarded the contract to facilitate the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) to issue smart driving license, has failed to deliver its services as per the agreement. According to the department, they are still awaiting for the company to develop the software system to a full scale.    
The company’s failure to deliver the service as per the agreement has caused delay in the printing and distribution of smart driving license cards, according to the department.

The department claimed that it has already paid 90 percent of the contract amount equivalent to Rs 700 billion to the company, but it has failed to deliver the system as per the agreement.    
The department’s computer engineer Suraj Prasad Aryal shared that the DoTM has already informed the Indian company about technical issues it is facing in the smart card software system. Though the company was urged to send a technical team here to fix the issues, it did not find it necessary to respond to the call.    
A letter dispatched by the department to the company states that TMO /TMSO and modules are not functioning properly, there is a problem for the online payment of tax and insurance and it is tackling with a software bug and loopholes in the security system. Moreover, the security audit of electronic driving license is yet to be carried out. Due to these reasons, the Department's Online System (EDL and VRS) remains non-functional.    
Similarly, work on 18 TMS has also not moved ahead as the company has not sent the skilled human resources required for technical assistance as per the agreement. The company has to provide the software project manager, senior and junior Web Java programmer, database specialist and quality assurance specialist, but it has not completed its obligation till now.    
Not only this, the company has also not fully handed over the software and hardware necessary for online renewal of the driving license and vehicle registration. The DoTM has alleged that it is facing problems frequently due to this reason. -- RSS