Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s government is making a smart move. It has finalised plans to introduce a card for motor-car owners to replace the blue book and the plastic driving licence.

The transport department is all set to introduce the much-hyped smart card in the month ahead. “Preparations for the computerised cards are in full swing and we are more or less ready to introduce the card on Republic Day,’’ said public vehicles department (PVD) director H. Mohan.

Transport secretary H.P. Roy has convened a meeting on January 2 with departmental officers and some computer software operators, including Webel, for a progress report on the matter. A plan of action will be drawn up for fully computerising the entire transport system. Roy, however, hinted that the smart card might be delayed by a couple of days in case of a technical snag.

PVD director Mohan explained that the cards would be provided to vehicles plying in the city. Later, the system will be extended to other urban areas.

According to PVD officials, there will be two cards, one to replace the blue book and the other the driving licence. The blue book card will cost Rs 340 and the driving licence card Rs 140. The cost of both will have to be borne by the vehicle-owners.

The smart card, very handy in shape and size, made of a special type of plastic with a computer chip, will have all the details of the vehicle and the owner. Besides, there will be details of tax dues, certificate of fitness and insurance and pollution clearance. Punching the card in a master computer, to be installed in the PVD office, will display all the details of a vehicle on the computer screen.

Similarly, the driving licence cards will contain the details of the holder, apart from its validity period. Though Webel has been entrusted to produce the cards, the transport department is looking for some other computer firms to speed up the process.

“By introducing smart cards, we shall be able to put an end to fake driving licences and blue books that have been tampered with. Besides, the so-called tout raj will also end, as it is not possible for any individual or company to produce the card. We feel that vehicle-owners will not be burdened with buying the cards, as they will be of benefit to them,’’ said transport minister Subhas Chakraborty.

The PVD director said the cards would be offered to the vehicle-owners when they pay their tax or renew the certificate of fitness of their vehicles.

“Though it is mandatory for the owners of all vehicles to get the smart cards, we are not applying any force right now. We will only appeal to the owners to acquire them. Two or three months later, we’ll compel the vehicle-owners to get themselves these smart cards,’’ Mohan said.