A Gujarat RTO appointment glitch left applicants stranded on a declared Diwali holiday after the online system continued issuing appointments for vehicle transfer and re-registration services, according to a report by Divya Bhaskar – Ahmedabad published on November 9, 2026.
Applicants who had booked slots in advance said they reached RTO offices at the scheduled time after taking leave from work or making special arrangements. They were then informed by security guards that the offices were closed for the holiday and were asked to return.
The appointments were issued for services including vehicle transfers and re-registration, despite the government having declared a holiday for the additional day during the Diwali period. Because the online appointment system continued to show available slots, applicants travelled to the offices expecting their applications to be processed.
The incident resulted in applicants making an unnecessary trip to the RTO offices during the festival period. The report said some applicants had already set aside work commitments or taken leave to attend their appointments.
Ahmedabad RTO official Bal Mukund Suryavanshi said applicants had been informed that the office would remain closed for the holiday. He also said that appointments for people who reached the office had been rescheduled.
However, applicants reported that the rescheduling messages did not always reach them before they travelled. An applicant identified as Rakesh said he received the SMS about the rescheduled appointment only after reaching the RTO office. The delayed message meant that the updated information did not prevent the journey to the closed office.
The episode involved a mismatch between the government holiday schedule and the availability shown on the RTO’s online appointment system. While the authority said appointments were being rescheduled, the report did not specify how many applicants were affected or whether the system had been corrected across Gujarat.
The immediate issue for affected applicants is the revised appointment schedule. The Ahmedabad RTO’s stated response is to reschedule appointments for people who arrived on the holiday, while the delayed delivery of SMS notifications remains a reported concern.
