Maharashtra to form SITs to crack down on illegal auto, taxi permits

The decision was taken on Monday after preliminary inquiries revealed that thousands of driving licences were issued to auto and taxi operators based on forged documents generated by a “licence mafia” allegedly operating in connivance with government officials

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has decided to set up division-wise Special Investigation Teams (SITs) to crack down on the large-scale issuance of illegal licences and permits to autorickshaw and taxi operators, particularly in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), according to officials aware of the developments.

The decision was taken on Monday after preliminary inquiries revealed that thousands of driving licences were issued to auto and taxi operators based on forged documents generated by a “licence mafia” allegedly operating in connivance with government officials. (Hindustan Times)

The decision was taken on Monday after preliminary inquiries revealed that thousands of driving licences were issued to auto and taxi operators based on forged documents generated by a “licence mafia” allegedly operating in connivance with government officials.

The SITs for the state’s six administrative divisions—Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati, and Nagpur—will be headed by the divisional commissioners, with regional transport office (RTO) officials and police officers as members, said an official from the state home department. The SITs will focus on MMR, where most of these irregularities occur due to the high rate of migration, the official added.

The racket surfaced after complaints by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Narendra Mehta from Mira-Bhayandar in April. The Kashigaon police in Mira-Bhayandar recently booked 27 people for allegedly forging documents to obtain driving licences and auto-rickshaw and taxi permits.

The accused allegedly used forged ration cards, domicile certificates and Aadhaar-linked address proofs to obtain permits and licences from the Mira-Bhayander RTO office. Police investigations found that the accused used a single ration card number and manipulated supporting documents to falsely establish local residency. Officials said the racket had been active since at least August last year.

Preliminary reports sought by the transport department from RTOs across the state brought several similar cases to light, especially in MMR. “In Wadala, over 2,000 licences and permits were issued using the address of a mosque. Similarly, over 100 permits and licences, along with domicile certificates, were issued using the same address in a house in a Ghatkopar slum. There are several such cases in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The department has decided to crack down on these rackets,” said an official from the transport department.

After realising that licences and permits were being issued based on documents generated by the revenue department and the police, the transport department decided to initiate a multi-department probe, the official said. Transport minister Pratap Sarnaik approached revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, as most of the crucial documents are issued by the revenue department. The decision of the constituting SITs was taken in this meeting held on Monday, the official added.

“Domicile certificates issued by the revenue department are often based on ration cards issued by the food and civil supplies department. Permits also require character certificates issued by local police stations after verification of credentials. However, police often issue such certificates based only on an existing address. In some cases, character certificates were issued to people who migrated to the city only a few months ago. Similarly, fake ration cards form the basis of domicile certificates, creating an entire chain of verification built on fraudulent documentation,” said the home department official.

Another official from the home department said that officials responsible for issuing fraudulent documents often shift blame onto one another when accountability is sought for the issuance of false records.