Pune: Persistent technical glitches and frequent server outages on the Mahaonline portal over the past four days have paralysed services under the Right to Services (RTS) Act, affecting students, parents, and Maha e-Seva centre operators across Maharashtra.Applications for essential documents, including caste, income, non-creamy layer, domicile, and nationality certificates, have remained pending due to repeated login failures and sluggish portal response.The disruption comes at a critical juncture, as admissions for undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional courses are currently underway, alongside scholarship applications and competitive examination registrations. The delay in obtaining mandatory documents has stalled admission processes, forcing frustrated applicants to make multiple trips to service centres.Meghana T, a student seeking a domicile certificate, expressed her anxiety over the looming deadlines. “I have made several rounds to the e-Seva Kendra only to be told the system is down. My application deadline is Monday. I can only hope for an extension, or I will have to provide a written submission to the college promising to submit it late. The pressure is immense,” she told TOI.Operators report that the portal has been unstable for nearly a fortnight. Beyond server crashes, they pointed to a malfunctioning translation system that complicates data entry.“It is taking an unreasonable amount of time, and we are forced to turn citizens away repeatedly,” said one operator. “The Maha-online IT team frequently updates software during peak hours, which creates further hurdles. The system often crashes mid-way through document uploads.”The technical requirements for these applications are heavy; while an income certificate requires four documents, a non-creamy layer application can require up to 13. “As we upload the final documents, the server often crashes with an ‘oops’ error message, forcing us to restart the entire process. We are often forced to work late at night when the server is slightly more stable, leading to massive crowding during the day,” another operator added.Citizen groups are now demanding a dedicated helpline and a formal grievance redressal mechanism for technical failures. Operators also warned that software maintenance should not be conducted during peak admission seasons when application volumes are at their highest.Responding to the crisis, MahaIT managing director Sanjay Katkar acknowledged that software and server issues have hindered services but assured that they are being addressed.“We have received complaints from centres across the state. A ‘flying squad’ has been deployed to conduct inspections and gather ground feedback,” Katkar said. “The heavy rush of applications has put an additional load on the system. Our technical teams are working to restore smooth functioning at the earliest.”Maharashtra operates nearly 30,000 Maha e-Seva Kendras to facilitate RTS services. Operators warn that if the glitches are not resolved immediately, a massive backlog will build up, potentially jeopardising the academic futures of thousands of students across the state.
