Smart Cities? Start with Smart Laws instead

Will Chandigarh be the first smart city or these three with US contributing something or other? Does it even matter to most people?

I wish the government would work on simple, smart laws first. By smart I mean, that it should be easy for a person to comply with the law. It can't be that hard :(

A simple example -  shifting a car from Chandigarh to Goa. (As one person in RTO of Goa wanted to confirm that I knew I will have to pay road tax again. I am ignoring double taxation in this case.)

If the car has to be in a different state, the registration needs to be changed. That is the law. The process:

• Get an NOC from Chandigarh 
• Nice that they have convenient booklets containing all the forms including multiple copies which need to be filled and pages with labels for pasting  documents which need to be supplied.
• Proof of residence is not a problem for me any more as over the last few years all my documents have the Chandigarh address.
• But I can't forget the pain of opening the first bank account in Chandigarh after moving there.
• Nor can I forget the problem registering the car I had bought and no acceptable proof of residence. Fortunately I got the voter id just then and survived.
• Need to get a report from NCRB that car is not stolen. The data is online and can be accessed but I need to get the certificate from central police station.
• Chandigarh is a compact town and I live in the heart of it. So, making 3 trips to get it was not a major hurdle especially if I can time my trips to avoid extreme traffic.
• Go the police station - requests taken in the morning only
• Submit request next day morning
• Pickup the signed printout in the evening.
• Comparatively painless process 
• Get a token - a long queue
• Wait turn to submit
• Pickup NOC's next day  

Now enjoy the leisurely drive from Chandigarh to Goa.

• Make a request for transferring the car in Goa
• Visit the RTO office
• Confusion about which forms I need to fill
• Buy more forms than needed, for example form to re-register car, form to change address, form for transferring car to another person, ...
• Fill the forms which seem appropriate
• Show and have to remove the re-registration form
• Need to add Form 28. 
• A copy of which had been returned along with NOC
• Why this form as it is an application for a NOC which contains the same information on the NOC? Why bother to understand?
• Proof of residence is a problem
• Own the place where I stay so sale deed will do
• Need to get it notarised
• Get the certificate that the car is not stolen once more.
• This time from Panaji 
• I am not in Panaji and a long drive or, more likely, two drives. Update - took 3 trips. I never expected them to want the Form 28 copy and not the NOC copy :) I had not taken the former with me :(
• What next? I don't know yet.
• Update: After submitting the file, I have to wait for 6 weeks for them to verify with the issuing authority that the NOC is genuine!

I wish what we get from the US is Reagan's signature quote: Trust but verify whereas all our interaction with the government is 'Don't trust and don't verify'. Those who need to circumvent the laws don't really have a problem. The rest of us run around in circles.