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Punjab vigilance bureau team raids Faridkot RTA office, records confiscated
Punjab vigilance bureau team has also taken some official records of the RTA office into their possession for investigation. As per sources, the team has carried out an inspection of records on the bases of some information received by the VB that there are irregularities in the issuing of registration certificates (RCs) and fitness certificates of vehicles.
Days after unearthing a scam involving the issuance of vehicle fitness certificates in the Sangrur regional transport authority (RTA) office, a Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) team on Tuesday raided the Faridkot RTA office and inspected official records. The VB team has also taken some official records of the RTA office into their possession for investigation. As per sources, the team has carried out an inspection of records on the bases of some information received by the VB that there are irregularities in the issuing of registration certificates (RCs) and fitness certificates of vehicles.
In 2021, VB had arrested an assistant transport officer (ATO) and junior assistant, posted at the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Faridkot (in 2018), for allegedly taking lakhs of rupees as bribes to issue vehicle RCs and heavy motor vehicle driving licenses by making fraudulent backlog entries in the official record in 2018. The probe had revealed that 183 heavy vehicle driving licences and 57 RCs were issued illegally in 2018.
In 2020, Sangrur police had booked Faridkot RTA secretary Hardeep Singh in a case of allegedly issuing a backdated driving licence to a resident.
Apart from this, VB suspects that the government exchequer has lost lakhs of rupees in the auction of special numbers.
VB deputy superintendent of police Jaswinder Singh said that the records of the RTA office are being scrutinised as per the instructions of the Punjab government. He said that after the completion of the investigation, its conclusion report will be prepared and submitted to the higher authorities.
RTA Ferozepur raided
VB Ferozepur raided the regional transport office on Tuesday. “The passing of old vehicles is being done against the rules by the motor vehicle inspector in Ferozepur because this practice is being done on personal verification only. Usually only 30-35 old vehicles can be processed in a day. It has come to the notice of VB that more than 100 vehicles have been passed in a day which is not practically possible,” said sources. “Vehicles are being passed without verification of the vehicles in connivance with the agents. Concerned record has been seized while further action will be taken after scrutiny of the same,” said Raj Kumar Sama DSP, VB to a section of media after seizing certain records.
