Nagpur: City RTO on Tuesday transferred two assistant motor vehicle inspectors (AMVIs), who were allegedly involved in conducting learner’s licence (LL) tests after office hours and on government holidays, to Bhandara and Gondia.
As per sources, Mangesh Rathore, who joined Nagpur east office from deputy RTO east office, Nanded, was transferred to deputy RTO office in Bhandara after his name surfaced in the LL racket.The city RTO office, headed by RTO Sharad Jichkar, also transferred Sanjivini Chopde to Gondia deputy RTO office. Other senior official are also likely too be involved in the racket, sources said. TOI had first reported the alleged scam on June 17.
Sources said that the AMVIs were transferred despite severe staff crunch at the city office. “How were the two AMVIs relieved when there were only four AMVI at the city office, against the sanctioned strength of 26?” sources said.
Despite repeated requests, Jichkar and deputy RTO Atul Ade were unavailable for comments.
Yuva Sena district president Nitin Tiwari, who unearthed the scam through an RTI query, said: “Instead of taking action against these AMVIs, the city RTO shifted them.”
The Maharashtra Transport Department has allotted 264 slots per day to Nagpur city RTO for learning licence test through online application.
However, the RTI query put up by Tiwari revealed that Rathod conducted 7,000 tests, which means 318 per day, in January 2018 which had only 22 working days
Tiwari alleged that the AMVIs misused their position during their tenure and added that he would lodged a complaint against RTO officials with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and transport commissioner’s office in Mumbai.
He said the TC office should immediately check the IP addresses of all the LL tests conducted after office hours, which would reveal the locations where the tests were conducted.
It is not the first time the officials involved in corruption cases have been transferred. In 2013, the then motor vehicle inspector (Nagpur east) Abhas Desai was transferred to Malegaon RTO after he impossibly inspected over 7,612 vehicles and issued fitness certificates to 1, 084 vehicles in October that year.