Date:11/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/11/stories/2008111160310400.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

It’s business as usual for brokers at RTA

Staff Reporter

ACB sleuths seize unaccounted money from private persons near RTA offices

Hyderabad: The failure of Transport Department authorities in preventing brokers from entering the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) offices is enabling them to fleece applicants by collecting excess money for different transactions.

Surprise check

Recently, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted a surprise check on Shapur check post and seized Rs.30,810 from S. Sanjeeva Reddy, an unauthorised person.

Motor Vehicle Inspector M. Susheel Reddy was allowing private persons to collect excess amount from truck drivers and other persons to get clearance at the check post, ACB officials said in a press release.

In a similar raid on the Uppal RTA a few day ago, the ACB officials seized an unaccounted sum of Rs.97, 285 from private persons.

During the raid, Rs.70,495 was seized from 14 agents operating near the Vehicle Track Points, Rs.8,990 from two agents at Learning Licences counter and Rs.17,800 from four agents at the registration point.

As per G.O. 178 issued in 2002,

the State government has banned entry of brokers, agents and other unauthorised persons into RTA offices premises, but many officers violate the rule and allow the agents.

Nexus

“The ACB raids have time and again disclosed the nexus between the Transport Department officials and agents. Mere suspension and penalties will not solve this problem, stringent action should be initiated against authorities involved in such cases,” says Mahatma Gandhi Auto Union general secretary K. Dayanand.

“Holding bunches of applications, agents come as representatives of different commercial transport organisations and it becomes difficult to identify them,” said Joint Transport Commissioner B. Venkateswarlu.

Presently, applicants seeking driving licence (Learners and Permanent) and Registration Certificates have to be present physically for verification of documents.

Like-wise, the department had proposed to make it mandatory for commercial vehicle owners to be present at the office to prevent the role of middlemen, he added.