Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 26: The teams of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) today conducted surprise raids at the Regional Transport Offices located at Jammu, Kathua and Samba and seized record.
Official sources said that the staff at the RTO office, Lakhanpur (Kathua), was caught surprised when they observed sudden presence of ACB officials around them. One of the officials bolted the door from inside and others started search of the documents and questioning the staff and the visitors. They also started scrutinizing the computerized record as well.
On the basis of information provided by a visitor, some team men went to the nearby location of an agent/ pollution centre and recovered dozens of official files of the RTO office Lakhanpur (Kathua) kept there by one of the staffers. They also scrutinized the mobile phone messages of the officials and seized huge record.
The teams during raids also visited location of driving tests at all the three places and interacted with the people called there for test besides the RTO staff there. It was silent operation in all RTO offices and the teams thoroughly scrutinized the record during whole day exercise. The agents escaped from the respective offices as they came to know about the raids, the eye witnesses said.
In Jammu and Samba RTO offices also, the teams seized huge record and scrutinized the documents. The doors of some of the staff members were shut when the operation was in progress. It was long whole day operation/ joint inspection by the teams. Many visitors also shared vital information with the raiding ACB officials.
A senior official said that ACB planned operation on the basis of information received from various quarters regarding wide spread corruption in the Regional Transport Offices at Jammu, Kathua and Samba. It was learnt that some officials directly or through their agents collect money for processing Learner’s Licenses, Driving Licenses, RC’s and also for clearing candidates in the driving tests.
He disclosed that team during raids checked all the vital points in these offices, which were prone to corruption. The pending files in the Regional Transport Offices for issue of Driving Licenses, Registration Certificates etc were scrutinized to ascertain the reason of pendency. Even the personal computers and Mobile phones of the RTOs, ARTOs, Inspectors etc were also thoroughly checked for any onward messages seeking favours including the amount of cash lying with them.
The official further claimed that collected records and the observations made are being scrutinized for further course of action including the statements of the public/ visitors. If any malafide / criminal negligence/ connivance is found on the part of officials of these Transport offices, legal action as envisaged under law shall be taken against concerned officials, he added.
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