Ahmedabad: Several hundred applicants across the 39 RTOs in the state faced inconvenience on Wednesday after the Sarathi server, the backbone of the state transport department’s online services, suddenly went down.The technical failure affected RTO offices in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and other districts, bringing driving licence-related services to a complete standstill. As a result, several applicants who had travelled long distances and secured prior appointments were forced to return home without appearing for their scheduled driving tests.According to officials, the failure brought every key licence service to a halt — learner’s licence computer exams, driving track tests for permanent licences, renewals and endorsements. “With the system inaccessible, RTO staff could neither process applications nor conduct tests,” said a senior RTO officer from Ahmedabad.The problem is not new. Officials acknowledged that the servers have failed before, sometimes remaining down for three to four days at a stretch. The disruption led to long queues and confusion outside RTO premises as applicants waited for hours in the hope that services would resume.“Tempers flared as many had taken leave from work and found no alternative arrangements in place,” said an RTO inspector from Gandhinagar.Transport department officials confirmed the technical fault and said efforts were under way to restore the Sarathi system, though no timeline for recovery was available. In the meantime, RTO authorities urged citizens requiring in-person visits to defer their appointments and return in about a week.
