Mumbai: In a massive disciplinary move against the mess in the State Transport Department, the Maharashtra government has suspended 37 officers and inspectors on charges of negligence in issuing fitness certificates to vehicles.
The orders were issued by the State Home Department under Section 3 of the Maharashtra Public Services Rules and for not following the provisions of Rule 62 of the Central Rules. The rules relate to checking transport vehicles for issuing fitness certificates with a view to ensure that modern technology or equipment is used, officials of the State Home Department said on Friday.
Of the 37, 28 are Inspection Officers while nine are Assistant Inspection Officers, belonging to transport offices in Thane, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Amravati, Buldhana, Satara, Ratnagiri, among other regional offices. “Our probe has found that Rule 62 of the Central Rules and Rule 183-A of the State Rules were not followed while issuing and renewing fitness certificates to thousands of vehicles. This is a serious matter and so 37 officers are being suspended. The suspended officers will not be allowed to work in private and their compensation and pay will be held back,” said the orders issued by the State Home Department.
The order came in the wake of a Public Interest Litigation filed by petitioner Shrikant Madhav Karve in 2013. A two-judge bench had directed the State Government to take “disciplinary action” against inspecting officers who fail to carry out the tests in accordance with Rule 62, Central Rules and other connected rules.
The petitioner had provided documents showing failure of the officers of the Road Transport Department to check transport vehicles in accordance with the Central Rules. This, the petitioner had said, was the main reason for the large number of road accidents involving passenger buses and goods vehicles in Maharashtra.
