That there was evidence to suggest complicity of insiders of Trimulgherry Road Transport Authority office in the three-wheeler registration scam was proved when investigators arrested a clerk in the case.
Whether the arrested senior assistant, P. Raghavender, is the lone employee involved in the scam is the more pertinent question now. The procedures involved in registration of new three-wheelers in the capital and issuing permits to run them hints that more skeletons would tumble out of the cupboard in the fraud.
Like most frauds committed in different government wings, lacunae in the system facilitated the scam in the Trimulgherry RTA office as well. Seeds for the racket were sown when the State government brought out an order nearly 10 years ago banning registration of three-wheeled contract carriages in the capital.
This also put an embargo on issuing permits to operate three-wheelers. Idea behind the G.O. was to check traffic congestion and pollution due to ever increasing movement of auto-rickshaws in Hyderabad. However, owner of an old three-wheeler was issued a permit if a new auto-rickshaw with LPG or CNG compatible engine was bought after condemning the old one.
The procedures were laid down in detail on the paper. A broker, A. Raji Reddy, cleverly exploited the system. According to the police, he ‘managed' some employees of the Trimulgherry RTA office and got registered 50 auto-rickshaws in his name. How? The old vehicle to be condemned is taken to the Nagole RTA office where a Motor Vehicle Inspector personally supervises the procedure and issues a certificate.
This certificate is again presented in the Trimulgherry RTA office by the vehicle owner. Two clerks and eight other employees, some of the rank of Road Transport Officer, inspect the files before issuing the fresh permit for the new three-wheeler purchased by the applicant.
How can a single clerk ‘manage' all these office processes? Did the superior officers fail to notice the fraud going on for over a year? It can be oversight in one case. But, how did Raji Reddy manage to get 50 vehicles registered in his name? Did they inspect the documents he presented for registration of vehicles?
Investigators believe answers to these questions would land more employees of the RTA office behind the bars.
They also feel similar frauds being committed in other RTA offices in the city cannot be ruled out. Now suspicions are being raised if more agents misused the system like Raji Reddy within the Trimulgherry RTA office.
