"Armed with Citu badges, the touts will not allow any vehicle owner to communicate directly with a PVD official. Everything will have to be routed through the union and people will be forced to pay extra for the services," said an official who did not want to be named.

Asked about the decision to extend patronage to the illegal operatives, Citu state secretary Kali Ghosh said: "These people (the touts) are making a living in an unorganised way. So, we have decided to grant them affiliation."

But don't the touts extort money from vehicle owners? "The administration will keep a close watch on the union members and will ensure that they do not indulge in corruption."

Transport secretary Sumantra Chaudhury did not want to comment on the formation of the union. "We are trying to move towards a system in which people will not need to visit the PVD office except on rare occasions."

After talking to the touts, Metro learnt that the current rate for getting a driving licence issued is Rs 1,500 and for registering a vehicle, Rs 5,000-7,500. In normal circumstances, one has to pay Rs 500 for a driving licence and not more than Rs 3,000 for registering a vehicle.

Disputes over payment are a regular feature in the Beltala office, said an officer of Ballygunge police station.

"We don't intervene any more. Earlier, whenever we tried to curb the illegal activities, the touts would sit in a dharna in front of the police station. People still come to us with complaints but we ask them to meet PVD officials," said the officer.