Truck carrying 63 people to Bihar seized by Pune RTO
Each passenger had given Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 to the truck driver, according to Sawant.
The officials of Pune regional transport office (RTO) intercepted a truck carrying 63 people across Maharashtra border to Bihar at Shikrapur area of Pune.
“The truck was intercepted along the Ahmednagar road near Shikrapur where one of our three squads are keeping a watch. The passengers were disembarked, truck seized and a memo was issued against the truck owner,” said Ashwini Sawant, assistant regional transport officer (RTO) who is heading the initiative in Pune.
Each passenger had given Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 to the truck driver, according to Sawant.
“While some transactions were made online, most were in cash and the money was returned to each passenger before they were let go,” he said.
RTO officials have not lodged a police complaint against the truck owner. However, the vehicle’s permit will be cancelled once the case is presented in a court post-lockdown, Sawant said.
The squads also keep a track of Satara road and other exists across the city. The squads from Pimpri-Chinchwad RTO also keep a track of possible truck movement carrying people illegally through Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporation.
“We have filed 10 cases on Sunday (May 17) alone. Most trucks were either heading to Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan. Every truck carried 40-50 passengers. Some passengers are made to sit behind tin separations,” said Vinod Sagre, ARTO.
A truck carrying 50 people heading to Uttar Pradesh was intercepted by ARTO Sagre-led squad in Chakan on Sunday.
“We provide further travel arrangements through state transport bus or train to passengers found in seized trucks,” said Ajit Shinde, regional transport officer (RTO), Pune.
In the past three days, RTO squads have intercepted at least 17 vehicles carrying passengers across Maharashtra border. While 10 of these were in Pimpri-Chinchwad, seven were from Pune. The trucks were found heading towards Nagpur, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Bihar.
The trucks found in Pune were brought to Wagheshwar parking lot while vehicles found in Pimpri-Chinchwad were either taken to state bus depots or police stations.
