Telangana Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials conducting a surprise check at East Zone Malakpet RTO on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Posing as lorry drivers in need of various permits and registrations at the Road Transport Authority (RTA), officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau said they have unearthed many malpractices, including bribery in the department. The ACB carried out searches at Road Transport Authority (RTA) offices and check posts across Telangana with 15 teams on Tuesday.
A total of ₹2.70 lakh worth of unaccounted cash has been seized so far in the surprise raids that were conducted across 12 locations. “This move came after multiple complaints were filed against private people operating RTAs and RTA officials involved in collecting bribes for vehicle registration and other services,” said A.R. Srinivas, the director of ACB. There is no pre-defined date or time the raids are to be done; surprise checks were carried out as the need for it was felt after the number of complaints went up, he added. ”
Mahabubabad RTA topped the list with ₹61,900 worth of cash seizures where the driver of the District Transport Office was found illegally collecting cash from applicants, followed by Bandlaguda RTA office with ₹48,370 worth of seizures. A total of ₹43,360 unaccounted cash was seized from Tolichowki RTA office while ₹34,050 was seized from Ashwaraopet Checkpost in Khammam.
Other places where checks were conducted included RTA offices in Malakpet which recorded a seizure of ₹22,000, Nalgonda (₹12,200), Mahbubnagar and Siddipet, Deputy Transport Commissioner (DTC) Rangareddy in Manikonda (₹23,710), Salur checkpost in Nizamabad (₹13,500 ) and Bhoraj checkpost in Adilabad (₹11,630).
Common issues observed by the ACB officials during the raids included unauthorised people working at the offices, illegal collection of money from applicants, missing Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) and staff members not dressed in uniform while on duty. Further investigation into each of the cases is underway.
