CAG too pointed out staff-tout nexus

The murky affairs of the transport department’s zonal offices are not hidden from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) either. HT reports.

The murky affairs of the transport department’s zonal offices are not hidden from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) either.

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Released in the first week of June, CAG’s latest report on Delhi government points out how applicants who failed the driving test are blatantly issued driving licences. And, it says, this could not have been possible without the nexus between touts and the staff.

According to CAG's performance audit on ‘Computerisation in Motor Vehicles Departments’, 660 licences were issued irregularly to candidates whose learners’ licence had expired, while 209 were issued more than one driving licence.

And the fact that 209 persons were issued two or more licences resulted in 432 duplicate records being issued.

While CAG has picked up a small sample, the practice is open and rampant at each of transport department’s 13 zonal offices. Only those applicants are forced to take the driving test who are not accompanied by touts. And the motor vehicle inspector can reject your application for permanent licence even at the slightest of mistakes.

The CAG also found that databases were incomplete. Essential information related to vehicle owners and details of the licencees were not captured in the databases.